The Darkness and The Caged Bird
by RaeLynnMichaels
Summary: This is the story of Phoenix. Simply Phoenix. No last name. Though many called her Nix. A runaway at 16. She has no proper memory before she found a home in Cardiff. This is her story of finding out who exactly she is and why she can't remember her past. Where does she truly belong? Nothing is ever quite what it seems.
1. Prologue and Introduction

**A/N: **I know that this is overly cliched but this is the first time I'm putting any of my writing on here. To be honest, I'm terrified. I very rarely let people read these things. I am more than welcoming of any kind of criticism or suggestions. I should start with a warning that I probably won't update regularly, well not unless people seem to enjoy it. Any kind of suggestions on how to improve not only the story, but my profile and explanation of certain things as well is greatly appreciated. Thank you for bearing with me. *Much Love* I truly hope that my OC isn't a Mary Sue, but seeing as this is my first true attempt at letting other see it, I warn you that she may be. *Also so very sorry that I write in first person. It's the easiest form for me right now. (If I'm nothing, I'm honest.) Enough rambling. This will be slightly AU but stick with the Series as best as I can without feeling like I'm just adding an extra character in. The first few chapters may be sketchy at best until I find my writing style. Sorry this is so short, I just wanted to get a bit of a feel for everything.

This is the story of Phoenix. Simply Phoenix. No last name. Though many called her Nix. A runaway at 16. She has no proper memory before she found a home in Cardiff. This is her story of finding out who exactly she is and why she can't remember her past. Where does she truly belong? Nothing is ever quite what it seems.

_What was I doing with my life. I work in a shop with my 'sister' and live at home with 'mum'. I was 23 and going absolutely nowhere with my life. I hadn't gone back to school when 'mum' took me in. I simply went to work to help her out as my way of thanking her for saving me from the streets. What I really wanted was to travel. The only problem was my lack of funds and, if I was being honest with myself, I didn't like the idea of traveling all alone. One seemingly ordinary day would change all of that. At least I hoped it would. _


	2. Rose - Part 1

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. This is the first chapter where we meet Nix (Phoenix). Please let me know what you think. Like I said before, the beginning is going to be a bit rough. Sorry. Hope you enjoy. As of right now I don't know how long each chapter will be or how many chapters it will take to get through one episode. Please bear with me.

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_I was standing in a field of red grass, dancing around. There were beautiful mountains in the distance. There were two shining suns in the sky illuminating the beautiful trees around me. Their leaves were a beautiful shining silver. The wind blew through the trees, filling the air with a beautiful melody. Over the sound of the wind, I could hear a voice speaking softly to me._  
_"My dear child, soon the cage will break and you shall fly again." The voice was so familiar._

Suddenly the sound of an alarm blaring woke me from my sleep, my dream quickly faded. I groaned and covered my ears with my pillow. The alarm stopped and I sighed and tried to fall back asleep. Without warning someone was jumping on my bed.

"Nix, you need to get up. We've got work." The girl I considered a sister said as she shook me.

"Just 5 more minutes Rose." I pleaded, trying to burrow myself further into the bed.

"Nope. We're gonna be late. Get up." She pulled my blankets off me, exposing me to the chilly air. I grumbled but finally sat up. Without warning, a pile of clothes was thrown at me. "Get dressed."

"Alright, I'm going. Now get out." I whined. She finally listened and left the room. I quickly got dressed in a pair of torn up jeans, a black tank top, red off the shoulder shirt with a black skull on it, and a pair of combat boots. I ran a brush through my red streaked black hair. It got rid of the tangles, but the waves were still a bit messy. I put on simple black eye liner to accentuate my light green eyes. I finished it off by grabbing my black saddle bag purse. When I came out of my room Rose handed me a cup of coffee which I quickly downed, not minding the warmth.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Unfortunately yes." I pouted. Rose rolled her eyes and went over to her mum, Jackie. She gave her a kiss on the forehead and we started to leave.

"Oi, what about you?" I heard Jackie call out. I quickly ran back to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead as well.

"Sorry mum. More tired than usual." I explained.

"I'll let it go this time. Just be careful you two." She teased.

"Bye!" Rose called back.

"See you later!" Jackie replied. Jackie wasn't really my mum, but she had taken me in 7 years prior, when I was only 16. I had no idea where my real parents were. All I really remembered was the fact that I had run away and Jackie had taken me in. I had quickly found a job and started helping with the bills. She and Rose were all the family I needed.

Rose and I quickly hurried down the stairs and ran to catch a bus. When Rose was old enough I got her a job at Henrick's, the department store that I worked at. One thing I loved about working there, was my ability to wear what I wanted instead of a uniform. Once in the store, we went our separate ways and started our shift. Around lunch time she came and found me and convinced me to go out with her and her boyfriend Mickey. He was a goofball, and got on my nerves quite a bit, but as long as they were happy, I was happy for them.

"No offense but you look awful Nix." He commented as we sat and ate near the fountain in Trafalgar Square.

"Thanks. You're a real charmer Mickey." I rolled my eyes at him.

"She's not sleeping. It's the nightmares again." Rose explained. I gave her a questioning glance. "You were crying again." She explained.

"Lovely." I muttered. She and Mickey continued to talk for a bit. My attention seemed to wander. Well, until Rose started dragging me back to work. Once again we went our separate ways until the end of our shift. When the announcement went off that the shop was closing, I went and found Rose. We made our way to the door with some of the other girls. The guard stopped us though by shaking the plastic bag containing the lottery money in front of me, causing me to groan in frustration. "Not tonight, please." I begged.

"Oi!" He snapped.

"It's fine. I'll go with you." Rose took the bag and we ran back to the lift that went to the basement.

"Seriously? It's like he singles us out." I groaned. "Just because I've been here longer, does not mean I'm more trustworthy with the money." I rambled. Rose giggled and shook her head.

"Wilson? Wilson, Nix and I got the lottery money." She called out.

"Wilson, are you there?" I asked, finding it strange that he didn't answer. He was usually happy to see us and waiting at his door.

"We can't hang about 'cos they're closing the shop. Wilson! Oh, come on." Rose was getting frustrated now. I was getting anxious. There was a clattering sound down the corridor. We both turned to face it. We couldn't see anyone so we started toward the sound.

"Hello? Wilson, it's Phoenix and Rose. Hello? Wilson?" I called out. Rose opened a door to one of the store rooms and I turned on the light. Boxes of clothes and mannequins filled the room. "I really don't like these things. They creep me out." I muttered.

"Wilson?" Rose called out. She started walking through the room. Not wanting to be left alone, I followed her. We only got a couple feet away when the door we had come through slammed behind us. I quickly ran back and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. Rose tried as well. "You're kidding me."

"Not funny. Really, really, not funny." I kicked the door.

"Is that someone mucking about? Who is it?" I turned to face Rose.

"What was it?" I asked. As if to answer me, a male mannequin turned to us and started moving closer.

"Yeah, you got me. Very funny." She tried sounding tough but I knew she was scared. I grabbed her hand to reassure her as more mannequins started moving.

"Right, we've got the joke. Real funny." I tried.

"Who's idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you?" Her voice was starting to waiver slightly.

"Seriously. This isn't funny any more. Knock it off or I swear I will make you regret it." I growled. It was fine when I was scared but as soon as Rose started getting frightened, my instinct to protect her kicked in. As more mannequins moved toward us, we backed up until we hit the wall. I hid her protectively behind me as one of the mannequins raised its arm. Suddenly someone grabbed my left hand. I looked over to see a man in his 30s with short brown hair.

"Run." He said as he pulled me along. I pulled Rose with me. The man led us through the basement and into a lift as the mannequins followed us. As the doors were closing, the mannequin that almost hit me stuck its arm in. The man next to me pulled on it a couple times before it came off and the doors closed.

"Lovely. Wait, you pulled his arm off." I stated the obvious, trying to figure out how it was possible if it were people dressed up.

"Yep. Plastic." The man said, waving the arm before tossing it to Rose.

"Very clever. Nice Trick! Who were they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?" Rose asked. I was lost in my thoughts as they spoke.

"Why would it be students?" He asked.

"I don't know."

"Well you said it. Why students?"

"'Cos to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students." She explained.

"That makes sense. Well done." He praised her.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"I don't think it was students, Rose." I said quietly.

"They're not students." The man voiced my worry.

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police." Rose replied stiffly.

"Who's Wilson?" The man asked.

"He's the chief electrician." I added.

"Wilson's dead." He said simply. We exited the lift.

"That's not funny." I hoped he was joking but something told me he wasn't.

"That's sick!" Rose cried.

"Hold on. Mind your eyes." The man said as he pointed something at the lift panel. It sparked. I looked away before there was a brighter flash.

"Who are you, then? Who's that lot down there?" Rose demanded. He didn't answer as we walked out a back door.

"She asked you a question." I snapped. He looked at us.

"They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof, which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He held up something that resembled a small bomb. "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed." He shut the door behind him.

"I don't like beans on toast. Strange man." I said randomly. The door quickly opened again, startling us. The man poked his head out.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way. What are your names?" He asked.

"Rose." She said softly.

"Phoenix." I added.

"Nice to meet you, Rose, Phoenix. Run for your lives." He quickly ducked behind the door again. We gave each other a confused look.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and believe him. Let's go." I started pulling her with me as we quickly made our way away from the shop. As we passed the shop windows, I quickened my pace. Without looking, we ran across the road, almost getting run over by a black cab.

"Oi! Watch it!" The driver yelled at us before driving off.

"Sorry" I muttered as we made it to the other side of the road and turned to face the building.

"Do you think he was being-" Rose started but was cut off by the sound of the upper floor of the building exploding and catching fire.

"I'll take that as a yes." I answered. We started running down an alley. I slowed down when I noticed a blue police telephone box. Rose grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her. We continued to run until we made it back home.

Rose sat on the settee while I draped myself across a chair. Jackie had the news on but I was ignoring it. She came into the room, talking on the phone with someone. She handed us each a mug.

"I know. It's on the telly. It's everywhere. They're lucky to be alive. Honestly, it's aged them. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was Rose's daughter and Nix's niece. Oh, and here's himself." Jackie rambled on as Mickey came inside the flat. He rushed over to Rose. I groaned and sank even more into the chair.

"I've been phoning your mobiles. You could've been dead. It's on the news and everything. I can't believe that the shop went up!" He fussed over her.

"I'm all right, honestly, I'm fine. Don't make a fuss." Rose tried.

"Yeah. Fine over here as well." I teased.

"Well, what happened?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Rose lied.

"What was it though? What caused it?" Mickey pressed. This was one of the times where he got on my nerves. They were already shot as it was.

"We don't know. We weren't in the shop. We were outside." I snapped.

"I didn't see anything." Rose continued, giving me a glare for my tone.

"What about you?" Mickey asked me, not noticing my attitude toward him. He was walking on thin ice with me.

"We didn't see anything. We were across the road, heading home." My voice was slow and even. I didn't like how inquisitive he was. It's not like he would believe us if we told him. On top of that, the man, The Doctor, told us it would get people killed if we did talk. Thankfully Jackie decided to interrupt.

"It's Debbie on the end. She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview." She tried. Rose and I shared a look. I nodded.

"Oh that's brilliant! Give it here." Jackie gave her the phone but Rose promptly hung up.

"Well, you've got to find some way of making money. The both of you. Your job's are kaput and I'm not bailing you out." She huffed.

"Wouldn't dream of it mum." I tried to soothe her. The phone rang again and she answered it.

"Bev! They're alive. I've told them, sue for compensation. They were within seconds of death." She walked out of the room and I rolled my eyes. Rose was stating to look just as annoyed as me. Mickey was still fussing over her. He took her mug into his hand, looked at it, then set it on the coffee table.

"What're you drinking, tea? Nah, nah, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger." He looked over at me as I poured something from a flask into my own cup. I quickly put the flask away. I tried to keep my drinking to a minimum since it worried Jackie, but it was the only thing as of late that helped me sleep. "Nix has the right idea."

"I'm alright." Rose tried.

"Now, come on, you deserve a proper drink. We're going down to the pub. You and me. My treat. Nix you can come too but you can get your own." I shook my head. He turned back to Rose. "How about it?"

"Is there a match on?" She asked. I chuckled.

"No, I'm just thinking about you, babe." He tried.

"There's a match on, ain't there." She looked to me, figuring I would know.

"I'm not getting into this, but yes." I snorted.

"That's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes." Mickey tried.

"Go on, then. I'm fine. We're fine. Really. Go." She encouraged him.

"And get rid of that." I said pointing to the mannequin arm that Rose had kept hold of for some reason. Mickey gave her a kiss and picked up the arm.

"Bye bye." He joked.

"Bye." We said in unison. Mickey pretended to be strangled by the arm before he left. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You know, he's not half wrong with his idea. We are a bit stressed. A drink might help." I offered, holding out my mug. She sighed and took a sip before quickly handing it back.

"That tastes awful." She coughed.

"Yeah, but it does the job." I finished the rest of it in one large swig. "I'm going to lay down. Are you sure you're alright?" I asked as I stood.

"Yeah. I'll probably go to bed soon." She replied.

"Alright. Wake me if you need me." She nodded and I went to bed. Sleep thankfully came quickly.

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A/N: Outfit on Polyvore ( rose_beginning/set?id=148884252&amp;lid=4311694)


	3. Rose - Part 2

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. This is my second chapter. Please let me know what you think. Like I said before, the beginning is going to be a bit rough. Sorry. Hope you enjoy. As of right now I don't know how long each chapter will be or how many chapters it will take to get through one episode. Please bear with me. I welcome any and all comments and suggestions. It's a bit slow going right now. I have no idea how often I will update. Life is hectic right now. Hope you all enjoy. If not, leave me a review and tell me what you don't like and I'll try to change it.

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The next morning, the alarm went off as usual. I groaned as Rose turned it off.

"There's no point in getting up, sweethearts. You've got no job to go to." Jackie called out. I huffed when I realized that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I gave in and decided to take a shower. The hot water helped relax my already tense nerves. When I was done, I threw on a pair of jeans, a cream top with a black floral design on it, a denim jacket and a pair of converse. When I looked in the mirror, I took notice of my necklace. It was a long silver chain with a silver locket. On the front there was a star design with a moonstone embedded in it. On the back there was a strange intricate design etched into it. I had never been able to open it. It was one of the few things I had with me when Jackie took me in. Sighing, I tucked the locket under my shirt and made my way into the kitchen where Rose and Jackie were talking.

"There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs." Jackie stated.

"Oh, great. The butchers." Rose whined. I shuddered.

"Well maybe not for Nix, she might pass out." I had been known to get ill when thinking about butchers. I could eat meat, I just couldn't cook it. The raw meat just made me sick for some reason. I sat at the table as Jackie continued. "Well, it might do you good. That shop was giving you two airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma. Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek!"

"Isn't Arianna Greek?" I asked, feeling slightly confused.

"I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim." She tried. There was a rattling at the door. I got up to check it out.

"Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays." Rose whined.

"I did it weeks back!" Jackie defended herself.

"No, you thought about it." Roes countered.

"Actually, she did. I helped her." I commented as I picked up a screw from the ground and showed it to her. The flap opened and closed but nothing came through. Slowly, I pushed the flap open only to see the Doctor looking through. I quickly stood up and opened the door. Rose stood next to me.

"What're you doing here?" He asked.

"We live here." Rose stated simply.

"Well, what do you do that for?" He asked.

"Because we do. We're only at home because someone blew up our job." I huffed at him. Annoyed that he would ask such stupid questions.

"I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic are you?" He asked before tapping each of our heads. I blinked in surprise. "Nope, boneheads. Bye then." He turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't." I grabbed his arm.

"You. Inside. Right now." Rose added. I pulled him into the flat.

"Who is it?" Jackie called out as we walked down the hall.

"It's about last night. He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes." Rose answered and kept walking. The Doctor had stopped for a minute.

"They deserve compensation." Jackie stated.

"Oh, we're talking millions." The Doctor lied.

"I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are." He stated, oblivious to her hints. I grabbed his arm.

"Sorry mum." I said before pulling him away. When we were out of earshot I spoke to him. "Oblivious idiot." He gave me a questioning glance. I just shook my head. We stopped when we were in the living room.

"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?" Rose asked.

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk." He started looking around the room.

"Me too." I tried.

"Get your own Nix." She teased back. I stuck my tongue out at the back of her head before coming into the kitchen with her. "We should go to the police. Seriously, all of us." She tried as she poured coffee. I quickly poured my own and turned to walk back into the living room. He was looking at a magazine.

"That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien." He muttered. I quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong." Rose continued, oblivious to him.

"I don't think it was." I added. She ignored me. The Doctor moved onto a book and flipped through it.

"Sad ending." He commented. He was truly confusing me now.

"They said on the news they'd found a body." She added.

"Rose Tyler." He said looking at a trophy. Then he looked into the mirror strangely. "Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears." It was almost like he was seeing himself for the first time. I ignored him and returned to get myself another cup of coffee.

"All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke. Anyway, if we are going to the police, we should know what we're saying." I heard cards falling. "I want you to explain everything." I heard the cat flap again.

"What's that, then? You got a cat?" He asked.

"Nope. We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate." I explained as we walked into the living room. The Doctor looked like he was pretending to be strangled by the plastic arm from the night before. "I told Mickey to get rid of that damned thing." It made me uneasy. It quickly seemed like he wasn't pretending.

"You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, we don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?" Rose asked. The arm suddenly flew off of the Doctor but it stopped mid air and flew towards Rose's face. The Doctor and I tried pulling it off, causing us all to crash onto the coffee table which shattered underneath us. After a few more moments of struggling with it, he got it off her face. He jabbed the device he had used on the lift into the palm of the arm and the fingers stopped flexing.

"It's alright, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless?" He joked.

"You think?" I asked before hitting him in the arm with it.

"Ow!" He whined. I rolled my eyes.

"That couldn't have hurt that bad. You big baby." I teased. The Doctor grabbed the arm and started leaving the flat. Rose and I followed. "Hold on a minute. You can't just go swanning off."

"Yes I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you." He continued down the stairs with us on his heels.

"But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me." Rose cried out.

"Ten out of ten for observation." He said while continuing.

"Watch it." I snapped.

"You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell us what's going on." Rose tried.

"No, I don't." He said as we walked outside. I was getting just as annoyed as Rose was. He hadn't told us anything and we had been in danger. We had a right to know at least a little bit. His poor attitude of telling us a little but refusing to explain was getting to be more than a little annoying. I had finally reached my snapping point.

"All right then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said that if we did that, we would get people killed. So, your choice. Tell us, or I'll start talking." If he was being truthful, I didn't want to put that on Rose and part of me was believing that he wasn't lying. I could just feel it.

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" He asked with a smirk.

"Sort of." Rose chimed in.

"Doesn't work." He continued walking.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

"Told you. The Doctor."

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" I asked.

"Hello!" He waived the arm.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" I threw back at him.

"Sort of." He chuckled.

"Strange man." I groaned quietly.

"What?" He asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"Nothing you idiot." I snapped, feeling more than 100% done with him.

"Come on then. You can tell us. We've seen enough. Are you the police?" Rose asked, trying to diffuse the tension between me and the Doctor. She had only seen me truly angry a handful of times but she knew the warning signs when I was getting really fed up. The Doctor turned to her.

"No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home." He replied, sounding earnest.

"But what have I done wrong? How come those plastic things keep coming after me?" She asked. I snapped my head to look at her.

"You? I do believe I was there both times something went wrong. Besides, two incidents could be a coincidence." I tried to explain, feeling like Rose was being a bit self centered. Both her and the Doctor seemed to ignore me though.

"Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all." The Doctor explained.

"It tried to kill me." Rose countered.

"It was after me, not you. Last night, in the shop, I was there. Then you two blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me." He tried to explain.

"So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you?" She asked.

"Sort of, yeah." He had an ego on him.

"You're full of it." I said while rolling my eyes.

"Sort of, yeah." He smiled. I wanted to hit him.

"But, all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?" Rose asked, making a valid point.

"No one." He said simply.

"What, you're on your own?" She asked.

"Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on." He kept walking.

"Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean if we're going with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that," She started.

"I do." They both gave me a questioning glance. "What? I'm sorry but I was almost killed by a mannequin whose arm then attacked both of you. I'm pretty prone to believing anything right now." I offered.

"Anyway. If we do go with that, how do you kill it?" Rose continued.

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead." He spoke as if this were an everyday thing.

"So that's radio control?" Rose asked.

"Thought control. Are you two alright?" He asked us. Rose nodded.

"Yeah. So, who's controlling it then?" I asked.

"Long story." He shrugged it off.

"We've got time." I offered.

"But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" Rose asked. I snorted.

"No. It's not a price war. They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?" He asked. Rose said 'no' while I simply nodded my head, knowing if she heard me say yes, she would start thinking I was a loon. "You're still listening though."

"Really though Doctor. Tell me, who are you?" Rose asked. I was starting to feel ignored unless I said something strange. The Doctor stopped walking and faced us.

"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it." He grabbed each of our hands. "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, the three of us, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go." He dropped our hands. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose and Phoenix Tyler-"

"Just Phoenix." I piped up.

"Right, Rose Tyler, just Phoenix. Forget me. Go home." He walked away, leaving us staring in awe. Rose started walking back toward the flat. I started following her, until there was a strange metallic sound in the air. We both ran back to where we had last seen the Doctor. He was nowhere to be found.

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A/N: Outfit on polyvore. ( rose_hello_again/set?id=149712979&amp;lid=4311694)


	4. Rose - Part 3

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you to TheDysfunctional for your review. Any reviews or advice is more than welcome. I'm trying to better my writing style. I'm sorry if I don't update often. I can't quite set a schedule since my sleep schedule is all kinds of messed up. I'm also uploading as I write so it might be slow going. Hopefully after I'm done with this episode, I'll try to make each episode only 2 chapters long. Depends on if y'all like the chapter length. I can do several chapters around 2000 words or I can do fewer chapters with considerably longer length. Please let me know in a review. I hope you enjoy.

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"What do we do now?" Rose asked me as we started back onto the estate.

"Look him up on the internet?" I suggested with a shrug. "Though we can't use my computer. It has a virus again."

"We can use Mickey's." We took a detour to Mickey's flat. He seemed happy to see Rose out and about after last night.

"Hey, hey, here's my woman. And her ever secretive sister."

"Shut up." Rose teased before they gave each other a quick kiss.

"Coffee?" He asked us.

"I'm good." I said, grimacing at the memory of the last time I had let him make me coffee.

"Yeah, only if you wash the mug. And I don't mean rinse, I mean wash. Can we use your computer? Nix's has a virus again." She explained walking away.

"Yeah. Wait, Don't read my emails!" He yelled after us.

"Damn, that was our whole reason for coming here." I teased back.

"Oh shut it Nix. You're feisty today." He called out.

"I'm more fun this way." I joked before joining Rose in Mickey's room. She was typing on the computer. First she typed 'Doctor' 17 million results popped up. She groaned and typed 'Doctor Living Plastic'. There was 55 thousand results. I moved her hands and typed 'Doctor Blue Box'. Luckily there were only 493 results. We looked at the list. The first one seemed intriguing. It simply read 'Doctor Who? ...do you know this man contact Clive here.' Rose clicked on it. On the first page there was a fuzzy picture of the Doctor.

I sat in the back of Mickey's yellow VW Beetle as he drove up a street. Rose was looking for the address.

"There it is." She pointed at a house. Mickey pulled over and parked the car. Rose and I started getting out of the car.

"You're not coming in." I pointed at Mickey. He had been in a mood ever since we told him where we were going.

"He's safe. He's got a wife and kids." Rose added.

"Yeah, who told you that? He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say." Mickey whined.

"Mickey, there's two of us and just one of him. I think we can handle ourselves. Plus, you've seen me kick a grown man's arse before for hurting mum's feelings." I offered. He simply huffed. Rose and I got out of the car and crossed the road. I knocked on the door. A young boy answered it.

"Oh, Hello. I've come to see Clive? We've been emailing." Rose offered. The boy rolled his eyes and turned around, yelling through the house.

"Dad! It's two of your nutters!" He called out before walking off. A larger man came to the door smiling.

"Oh, sorry. Hello. You must be Rose and Phoenix. I'm Clive, Obviously." He chuckled. I smiled at him, then remembered Mickey in his car.

"We should tell you now. Rose's boyfriend is over there in the car, just in case you're planning to kill us." I joked.

"No, good point. No murders." He waved at Mickey who puffed out his chest a bit. I rolled my eyes. Clive let us in and started walking through the house.

"Who is it?" A woman called out. I'm assuming it was his wife.

"Oh it's something to do with the Doctor. These girls have been reading the website." He answered her. "Please, come through. I'm set up in the shed." He led us out back. I gave Rose a strange look. She shook her head. We walked into a blacked out shed where pictures were hung up all over the walls. There were dozens of files strewn about.

"Lovely workspace." I commented, not knowing what to say to the man.

"Thank you. A lot of this stuff's quite sensitive. I couldn't just send it to you two. People might intercept it, if you know what I mean. If you dig deep enough and keep a lively mind, this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories, even ghost stories. No first name, no last name, just the Doctor. Always The Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son. It appears to be an inheritance. That's your Doctor there, isn't it?" He asked, pointing to his computer screen.

"Yeah." We agreed, though the picture was quite blurry.

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive just last year. The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original." He held out a picture for us to look at. "November the 22nd, 1963."

"The assassination of President Kennedy?" I asked.

"It must be his father." Rose commented. He started pulling out other photos and even sketches.

"Going further back. April 1912. This is a photo of the Daniels family of Southampton, and friend. This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World on the Titanic, and for some unknown reason, they canceled the trip and survived. And here we are. 1883. Another Doctor. And look, the same lineage. It's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded." Each picture, he looked the same. "The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion." His voice was low.

"Who's that?" Rose questioned.

"Death." Clive responded simply. A chill ran down my back.

"That's just. . . lovely." I muttered.

"If the Doctor's back, if you've seen him, girls, then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger. If he's singled you two out, if the Doctor's making house calls, then God help you." I didn't like his tone. It was setting me on edge.

"But who is he? Who do you think he is?" Rose continued, seemingly less worried than I was.

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal. I think he's an alien from another world." Clive responded. _~Like the one from my dream.~_ I thought, then quickly shook my head.

"Thank you Clive. We should get going." I thanked him and we went back out to Mickey's car. I climbed back in the back seat and laid down.

"All right, he's a nutter. Off his head. Complete online conspiracy freak. You win!" Rose pouted.

"I dunno. Yes, he was a bit. . . odd, but you have to admit there was some evidence to support him." I added.

"Well, you would say that. You've always been a bit odd Nix."

"I feel the love." I groaned.

"It's true. So, what are we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza. Want to come with Nix?" She asked.

"Eh, might as well."

"Pizza! P-p-p-pizza!" Mickey stated, not quite sounding himself.

"You alright there Mickey?" I asked.

"Or Chinese." Rose added, ignoring me and the strangeness of Mickey.

"Pizza!" Mickey laughed and started driving away. His driving was even worse than normal. I was starting to worry that he had gotten heat sickness being in the car while we were out. The ride to the restaurant was long and nerve wracking. Rose simply made little comments about Mickey's driving, whereas I just sat in the back holding on for dear life. Once he parked the car I quickly exited, thankful for the solid ground beneath my feet. After an eye roll from Rose, we went inside and got a table.

"Should we try the hospital? Suki said they have jobs going in the canteen. There's also a data entry job that you could try to get Nix." Rose suggested.

"You know I don't have the qualifications for that. I didn't finish school." I hummed, fidgeting with my phone.

"Is that it then, dishing out chips? We could do A Levels. Might give us a better chance." She offered with a frown.

"I blame Jimmy Stone. He's the reason you left school in the first place. I tried warning you against it but who was I to tell you not to leave school." I shrugged.

"Yeah, and look where he ended up. What do you think?" She asked Mickey, who had been relatively silent during our back and forth.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" He asked, ignoring her question. I glanced up at him, wondering where his new found fascination with the Doctor had come from. Something seemed wrong with his demeanor. He was smiling strangely.

"I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me and Nix for a second?" Rose asked, sounding put out. This didn't seem to register with Mickey.

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?" He asked quickly.

"No." I said flatly, still keeping an eye on him.

"Come on." He tried.

"Sort of." Rose admitted. I turned my gaze to her. She shrugged.

"What was he doing there?" Mickey asked.

"We're not going on about it. Really." I said firmly.

"I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous." Rose continued, ignoring my attempts at telling her not to talk about it.

"But you can trust me, sweetheart, babe, sugar, babe, sugar. You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart." He repeated, almost sounding like a glitching program. I carefully watched him.

"What're you doing that for?" Rose asked.

"Seriously, what are you on about?" I asked, my stomach turning a bit. A waiter walked up to us.

"Your champagne." He offered. I looked up to see the Doctor standing there. He smirked. I raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor?" Mickey asked us. I slid my seat back a bit. The Doctor moved to the other side of the table to Rose's side.

"Madam, your champagne." He offered, trying to get her to notice him. I stifled a chuckle.

"It's not ours. Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?" She asked. I rolled my eyes at her oblivious attitude.

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" Mickey asked.

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" The Doctor questioned.

"I'd love a glass right about now." I joked.

"Look, we didn't order it." Mickey snapped before looking up to see the Doctor standing there. "Ah, Gotcha." The Doctor started shaking the bottle. I slid my chair back even further, hoping that I wouldn't get hit with anything when he opened it.

"Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy group. On the house!" The Doctor smiled and uncorked the bottle. The cork flew into the air and hit Mickey square in the forehead. It went straight into his skull. He started chewing before spitting the cork out. Rose and I gasped.

"Anyway." Mickey stated. Suddenly his hand flattened into a large square. I pulled Rose up and away from the table as Mickey started destroying the table. The Doctor pulled off Mickey's head. The customers started screaming and getting up. The head in the Doctor's hands spoke. "Don't think that's going to stop me." The rest of the body started flailing around, destroying anything in it's path. Rose and I ran over to a pillar where a fire alarm was. She pulled the alarm as I started yelling at the customers.

"Get out! Everyone get out now!" People started running away from the flailing body and out of the restaurant. The Doctor ran over to us and we followed him. We ran through the kitchen and out to the back door, the body was following us, still destroying everything in it's path.

Once outside the restaurant, the Doctor ran his strange device around the door as if sealing it. Rose had run down the alley to a gate that was chained and locked. I looked over and noticed the same strange blue police call box a few feet away. It seemed strange but something was calling me to it. I was a foot away when I heard Rose call out.

"Open the gate! Use that tube thing. Come on!" She yelled at the Doctor.

"Sonic screwdriver." He replied.

"What?" I questioned.

"It's called a sonic screwdriver." He explained.

"Enough! Just use it!" Rose yelled at us.

"Nah. Tell you what, let's go in here." He said as he unlocked the door to the box and walked inside. The body that was impersonating Mickey started pounding on the metal door. Large dents began to form where it hit.

"You can't hide inside a wooden box. It's going to get us! Doctor!" Rose called out. I ignored her and followed the Doctor into the box.

It was beautiful and much larger than I had expected. There was something warm and comforting about it. It was gold and choral colored with support beams around the room. In the center there was a glowing console with a tube that ran to the ceiling. There were circular lights on the walls around the room. Finally Rose ran into the box where we were. The Doctor was hooking up the copy of Mickey's head onto the console. Rose looked around and ran back outside. I heard the metal door smash again and Rose finally returned. The door closed behind her.

"It's going to follow us!" She cried.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now shut up a minute." The Doctor responded while messing with the console again.

"You're quite rude today." I grumbled at him. He spared me a questioning glance before returning to his work. "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right. Where do you want to start?" He rambled.

"The inside is bigger than the outside?" Rose said quietly.

"Yes." He replied.

"It's alien." She stated, slightly in awe.

"Yeah."

"Are you alien?" Rose asked.

"Uhm, I think that's a given." I muttered to her. She ignored me.

"Yes. Is that all right?" He asked.

"Yeah." She responded. I nodded. He looked at me.

"You're being quiet. What do you think?" He asked.

"It's beautiful. And yeah. I'm fine with it all." I added, looking around trying to memorize the beauty of it all.

"It's called the Tardis, this thing. T.A.R.D.I.S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." He explained. Rose started crying. I ran over and hugged her tight, smoothing down her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's alright. Just breathe." I soothed her.

"That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us. Well, except you Phoenix. Why are you taking things so well?" He asked. I glared at him for being less than comforting.

"I've always been known to believe in weird and impossible things. Hence me believing you before when you came to our flat." I explained.

"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" Rose sobbed.

"Oh. I didn't think of that." The Doctor admitted. I bit my lip and looked down. I hadn't really thought about that. I was too distracted by a headless copy of him chasing us.

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?" She asked. I Looked over at the console to see the head melting.

"Melt?" The Doctor asked. I pointed at the console. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" He cried, running around the console, pulling levers and pushing buttons.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him with intrigue.

"Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no! Almost there. Here we go!" The Tardis shuddered and stopped. The Doctor ran for the door. I stood with Rose who was still shaking.

"You can't go out there. It's not safe." She yelled.


	5. Rose - Part 4

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Here is the last chapter of Rose. Let me know in a review if you would like longer or shorter chapters. I'm still on the fence about it. I won't be able to update for a little bit so I added two chapters today. Reviews are lovely. Enjoy.

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He waked outside. Through the doorway I could see that we were no longer in the alley behind the restaurant. I gave Rose an encouraging squeeze on her shoulder and we walked after the Doctor. When we walked outside we looked around. We were on the north back of the Thames right next to the RAF monument.

"I lost the signal, I got so close." The Doctor pouted, looking like a put out child.

"We moved." Rose pointed out.

"Does it fly?" I asked, curious as to how we moved so far so quickly.

"Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand." He muttered.

"Rude again. Who's to say we wouldn't understand? I only asked if it flew. You could simply say dematerialize. We're not stupid." I snapped.

"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose." Rose asked, before the Doctor could respond to my outburst.

"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?" He asked with an aggravated tone. I frowned at him.

"I'll have to tell his mother." The Doctor gave her a confused look. I realized that once again, we had forgotten about Mickey. I felt even more guilty at forgetting him. I got annoyed with him, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to him. "Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right, you are alien. And don't think I didn't notice you forgot about him as well Nix!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry alright. You know my mind wanders and I get distracted easily." I tried to excuse my actions. Before she could yell at me more, the Doctor spoke up.

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey-" He started.

"He's not a kid." She snapped.

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?" He snapped back.

"All right." Rose yelled.

"Yes, it is!" He yelled back. My head was aching from all the yelling.

"Enough! This yelling isn't helping anything. It's just giving me a monumental migraine. Rose, I get that you're upset but yelling at him is not going to fix anything. And Doctor, you are being exceptionally rude and inconsiderate. Now if you two would stop, I would be eternally grateful." I growled at them. They looked shocked. Rose shrank back a little from me and decided to change the subject. She turned to the Doctor.

"If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" She asked.

"Really?" I muttered.

"Lots of planets have a north." The Doctor replied passively.

"What's a police public call box?" She asked.

"Telephone box from the 50's." I added, remembering seeing them on old television shows that I watched when bored.

"It's a disguise." The Doctor added. "How did you know?" He asked me.

"Television." I said simply while shrugging.

"She watches a lot of old shows." Rose added. "Anyway. This living plastic, what's it got against us?" She questioned, voicing both of our curiosity.

"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!" He explained with a strange enthusiasm. The word war made me shudder. I had always hated wars. Something about the killing and destruction. I saw flashes of fires and explosions. The sounds of screams filled my ears. I don't remember watching any movies or shows that were about war, I actively avoided them, but I must have seen something bad for me to react so badly. I tried to subtly shake off the bad feeling. Luckily neither the Doctor nor Rose were watching me.

"Any way of stopping this?" Rose asked.

"Anti-plastic." The Doctor explained, puling a tube of blue liquid out of his jacket.

"Anti-plastic?" She questioned.

"Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" He thought out loud.

"Hide what?" I asked, getting a little tired of his vague questioning.

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boos the signal." He explained as if it was obvious.

"What's it look like?" Rose asked.

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." He rambled on. Rose and I both looked behind him then at each other. I gave her a nod. Directly behind him, across the river, stood the London Eye. The Doctor noticed us looking at something so he turned around.

"What?" He asked. He looked back behind him again and then back to us. "What?" I rolled my eyes. Rose crossed her arms. "What? What is it?" I pointed at the London Eye to help him along. "Oh! Fantastic!"

"Took you long enough. Strange man." I muttered, barely audible. He gave me a questioning look. I shrugged. He looked at us both and held out a hand for each of us to take. We smiled at each other and took his hands before running across Westminster Bridge toward the London Eye. For the first time since the restaurant, Rose looked happy which made me happy as well. We finally made it to the London Eye.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables-" The Doctor began.

"The breast implants." Rose completed. I tried to stifle the laugh at attacking breast implants.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath." He thought aloud again. We started looking around. Rose and I went to a small wall near the river. There was a manhole entrance down some stairs.

"What about down there?" I asked. The Doctor came over to see what we were looking at. His face lit up with a smile.

"Looks good to me." He beamed. We ran down the stairs as fast as we could. It was surprising that all this running hadn't taken its toll on my body just yet. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline rush. When we reached the hatch, the Doctor opened it revealing a red lit tunnel.

"After you." I told the Doctor, not knowing what we were going into and figuring he would better know how to handle things. He nodded and climbed down the ladder. Rose followed with me behind her. We walked through a tunnel an door that led to a large chamber. There were chains hanging everywhere. In the center of the chamber was a large vat with a gelatinous substance moving around.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature." The Doctor explained. I stared at the mass that was evidently a creature.

"Well, then. Just tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." Rose stated. I looked at her strangely. She had never been one to just attack first. That was usually my way of doing things.

"I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." The Doctor explained. He walked down a catwalk that overlooked the vat. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." He called out. The Consciousness seemed to answer him in a way that he understood. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?" Again the Consciousness made some kind of response. Rose suddenly noticed something and began running. I followed her with my eyes to see Mickey cowering on a lower level. I was glad to see that he was alright.

"Oh God! Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's alright." She comforted him. I followed the Doctor as we made our way down toward her. Mickey was scared out of his wits. He was drenched in sweat. I wasn't sure if it was from fear or from the warmth of the room we were in. More than likely, it was a mixture of the two.

"That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!" He muttered feverishly. Rose tried to comfort him.

"You're stinking." She commented before turning to the Doctor. "Doctor, they kept him alive." She was visibly excited and relieved.

"Yeah. That was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy." He explained nonchalantly, acting as though we should have known that possibility. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"You knew that and never said?" She shrieked.

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He replied.

"Rude again." I piped up. He turned to look at me.

"Why do you keep saying that?" He asked.

"Just want to remind you. Maybe you'll learn and become a bit more personable." I replied knowing well that my attitude was evident in my tone. He stared at me for a minute before shrugging and continuing down the stairs, closer to the vat.

"Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" He asked. I covered my mouth to hide a smile. The smile quickly faded when a face formed in the vat. It unnerved me. The Consciousness made a noise and the Doctor continued speaking. "Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights. I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go." He was now pleading with the creature. Out of the corner of my eye I saw some mannequins moving toward the Doctor.

"Doctor! Watch out!" I called out, but I was too late. Two mannequins grabbed the Doctor and held him tight. One of them reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the blue vial of anti-plastic. The Consciousness seemed alarmed. I didn't blame it.

"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not." He pleaded. The Consciousness made another loud noise. It sounded frightened, if roars could sound frightened. "What do you mean?" He asked. A door on a platform above him opened, revealing the Tardis.

"What's going on?" Mickey asked.

"Hush." I snapped. I wasn't sure why I was being so rude, but I was trying to think of what to do. Every time I was deep in thought I would snap at anyone who interrupted my thoughts. I turned back to the Doctor.

"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" The Doctor cried out, pain echoing in his voice. Once again the images and sounds of war invaded my mind. I popped my neck, trying to rid the images. The images of a city burning. People in robes running and screaming. Creatures of nightmares killing innocent people and children.

"What's it doing?!" Rose yelled. Her voice brought me out of my darkened thoughts. I looked over to see the Consciousness quaking.

"It's the Tardis! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose, Phoenix! Just leg it now!" He yelled at us. Rose puled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Mum? Where are you, mum? No, go home! Just go home right now!" She looked at the phone. "Mum! Mum!" She looked at the phone again, evidently Jackie had hung up on her.

"Where is she?" I asked, worried about her.

"Shopping." She replied in a panic.

"Of all times!" I growled. Suddenly the room started shaking. Bolts of energy shot through the room and into the ceiling.

"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!" The Doctor yelled at us.

"It's the end of the world." Rose cried. I gave her shoulder a squeeze, trying to reassure myself as well as her. I was older, it was my job to keep her safe.

"It's not. We'll find a way. Just trust me. We'll figure it out." I said, my tone betraying my own words.

"Get out, Phoenix, Rose! Just get out! Run!" The Doctor yelled at us. Rose looked around.

"The stairs have gone." She cried out. The mannequins tried getting the Doctor closer to the vat. Rose, Mickey, and I ran over to the Tardis. "I haven't got the key!" She cried as she tried to open the door.

"We're going to die!" Mickey cried.

"You're not helping!" I growled at him. He cowered even lower. Rose and I looked around for something to help.

"No!" The Doctor called out.

"Time Lord." I heard the Nestene Consciousness say. It was the first time I could understand it. I paused and stared at the Doctor.

"Just leave him! There's nothing you can do!" Mickey cried.

"Will you just SHUT UP!" I yelled at him. Rose pointed at a chain that was hanging on the wall. I nodded. "Keep him quiet." I pointed at Mickey. She nodded. I grabbed an ax off the wall near the chain. "I've got no job, no future, no education. Let's just hope I remember how to do this." I chopped the rope holding back the chain. The chain dropped into my hands. Taking a deep breath, I backed up and ran off the platform. I swung through the air and was able to kick the mannequin with the anti-plastic into the vat. The Doctor was able to toss the other in as well. The once golden liquid started turning blue. I could hear it screaming.

"Phoenix!" The Doctor called as I swung back toward him. He caught me and helped me stand. Suddenly the room started shaking even more. Explosions started going off all over. "Now we're in trouble." He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to where Mickey and Rose were still sitting, by the Tardis. I was silent, not able to block out the screams of the Nestene Consciousness. The Doctor unlocked the door and pulled me inside. The other two followed quickly. He let go of my hand and started messing with the console. I sat on the floor as he put the Tardis in flight. Finally the sounds of screaming stopped. When we landed, Mickey ran out. Rose followed slowly, pulling out her phone. I slowly stood up. "Are you alright?" The Doctor asked me, as I stood.

"Yeah. Flight is a bit rocky. It's safer to sit down." I lied and forced a chuckle. He gave me a questioning look but I smiled and walked out of the Tardis to check on Mickey and Rose. Mickey was crouched on the ground near a pallet. Rose had walked over to him. I stood off to the side. The Doctor stayed in the doorway of the Tardis.

"Fat lot of good you were." Rose jabbed at the Doctor.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy." He snapped his fingers.

"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for Nix." She added.

"Yes. I would." He turned to me. "Thank you."

"Welcome. Honestly, it was more luck than anything." I joked.

"Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge." He added, a bit of hope in his voice. Since I wasn't looking at him, I figured he was just talking to Rose.

"Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing." Mickey cried.

"Oh great, now you're being rude." I grumbled.

"He's not invited. What do you think? You two could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere." I looked over at him, realizing he was inviting the both of us.

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." He admitted. Rose looked at me. It was an unspoken conversation. Over the years I had told her my dreams of traveling, but I didn't want to leave her and Jackie behind.

"Yeah, I can't. I've er, I've got to go and find mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump." She gestured to Mickey. The Doctor turned to me.

"And you?" He asked.

"Give me a sec to talk to Rose." He nodded. I walked over to her.

"Go. I know you want to. You deserve it. You've helped us out a lot over the years." She smiled.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yes. Go." She seemed sad but she really did genuinely seem to want me to go. I hugged her and walked over to the Doctor. He smiled. I walked past him and into the Tardis.

"See you around." He smiled and closed the door. He moved to the console.

"You know, if you tell her it travels in time, she'll come running." I offered.

"How did you know?" He questioned.

"TIME and relative dimension in space. Not hard to work out." I teased. He smiled and we landed again. He went to the door, peaking out.

"By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?" He asked.

"Thanks." I heard Rose say.

"For what?" Mickey responded.

"Exactly." She replied and quickly ran into the Tardis. She quickly ran up and hugged me. I beamed. The Doctor smiled as he walked past us.

"Told you so." I smiled.


	6. The End of the World - Part 1

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thanks again to the wonderful TheDysfunctional for reviewing. I'm going to be putting this episode up in two long chapters. Let me know what you think in a review. I love to hear your opinions. I hope you enjoy.

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The Doctor, Rose, and I stood around the console in the Tardis. I was so glad that Rose had decided to come with in the end. It's not that I didn't like the idea of being with the Doctor alone, it was just that I wasn't used to being away from Rose for long periods of time.

"Right then, Rose Tyler, just Phoenix, you tell me. Where do you two want to go? Backward or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it going to be?" The Doctor beamed at us. He seemed like a kid showing off a new toy. I turned to Rose.

"Your choice." I smiled.

"Forwards." She beamed, her eyes lighting up.

"How far?" The Doctor asked.

"One hundred years?" She suggested, sounding unsure. The Doctor messed with a few things and we landed.

"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century." He smiled.

"You're kidding." Rose scoffed.

"That's a bit boring though. Do you want to go further?" He asked.

"Fine by us." I smiled. He messed with a few more things and we landed once again.

"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire." He smiled even brighter. I started thinking that if he smiled any more, his face might break.

"You think you're so impressive." Rose teased.

"I am so impressive." He pouted.

"You wish." I laughed.

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" He ran around the console pulling levers and pushing buttons. I grabbed onto the railing and pulled Rose to it as well so she wouldn't fall with the shuddering of the Tardis. Finally we landed.

"Where are we?" I asked, excited to know how far we had gone.

"What's out there?" Rose continued my line of thought, much like she always had.

"Come and look." He chuckled as he opened the doors and walked out. We followed quickly after. We were in a room that had bleacher like seating. At the front of the room there was a large metal shutter.

"Doesn't look very futuristic to me." I teased. As if to prove me wrong, the shutter began to descend, revealing a beautiful view of Earth from somewhere in space. "Ok. Next time I'll wait a minute before making my snarky comment." Rose giggled at me.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day," The Doctor said before he looked at the watch on his wrist. "Hold on." The sun flared and turned a bright red. "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world." I was in awe. An announcement over a loudspeaker broke my hypnotic stare.

"Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty nine followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"Shall we?" The Doctor asked as he turned to leave the room.

"We shall." Rose and I followed. We walked down a corridor, unsure of where we were heading.

"So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Rose questioned.

"Depends on what you mean by people." The Doctor shrugged. I instantly knew what he meant and what Rose was wondering.

"She means humans." I explained.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Aliens." He offered. I grew strangely excited. While Rose seemed a bit nervous.

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?" She asked.

"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." He explained, using his sonic screwdriver on a small panel on a wall we had come up to.

"Why?" I was curious.

"Fun." The door opened to a very large room. There were a couple display cases scattered around the room. At one end there was a large window with another beautiful view of space. "Mind you, when I said the great and good, what I mean is, the rich."

"But hold on. They did this once on the Newsround Extra. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years." Rose countered.

"Oh. I remember seeing that one. I was the one that made you watch it with me." I smiled. Rose simply rolled her eyes.

"It takes millions of years, but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun." The doctor explained, pointing to small satellites scattered around the sky.

"But, the planet looks just like I remember. The continents were supposed to shift over the years." I tried.

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over." He explained.

"How long's it got?" Rose asked.

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted." He seemed unfazed by this. It confused me greatly. Rose seemed curious as well.

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" She questioned.

"I'm not saving it. Time's up." He shrugged.

"What about all of the people?" Was there no way to save them?

"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left." He assured me.

"Just you and me then, Nix." Rose said sadly.

"Well you're just a ray of sunshine today. Isn't that supposed to be my bit?" I asked. She ignored me. Her eyes widened and I turned to see a man with blue skin and golden slit eyes walking toward us.

"Who the hell are you?" The man asked.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks." The Doctor quipped. For once I didn't mind his attitude.

"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now." The man was fidgety.

"That's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation. Look." The Doctor held out a small black wallet out of his jacket and showed it to the man. "There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler and Phoenix. They're my plus two. Is that alright?" He pulled back the wallet. I caught a glimpse of it. I figured it was digital since the image kept flickering and wouldn't stay in focus.

"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." The man went over to a lectern. The Doctor turned back to face us. Rose's eyes were wide. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." He explained, patting his pocket.

"Is it supposed to flicker or go out of focus?" I wondered if it was possible for psychic paper to be faulty.

"What do you mean?" He looked confused, pulling the paper out again and showing it to me.

"It's blurry and it goes blank every now and then. Is it faulty?" I gave him a questioning glance.

"No, the steward saw it just fine. Strange." He muttered the last part.

"He's blue." Rose finally came out of her surprised stupor.

"Yeah. You alright?" I asked her, worried about how she was handling everything. For some reason, after seeing the Nestene Consciousness, seeing new beings didn't really bother me. Then again, I was the strange girl that had believed in other beings before meeting the Doctor. Rose just waived it off as a wicked imagination. Rose finally looked at me.

"Yeah. Okay." She muttered unconvincingly.

"We have in attendance The Doctor, Phoenix, and Rose Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions." The steward announced. A large group of smaller blue aliens came into the room. I smiled at them. "Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." Three treelike aliens entered the room. There was a woman with two male escorts. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon." They walked toward us as more groups entered the room as they were announced. I ignored the announcements of each group, instead focusing on the people entering the room. After the treelike beings, a small blue alien entered on some kind of transportation pod. Then came some tall black robed figures. Others continued to flow into the room. I stopped observing them when the treelike beings came up to us.

"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." The woman, I'm guessing her name was Jabe, handed the Doctor a small twig in a pot. He handed it to me. I cradled it gently with a smile.

"Thank you. Yes, gifts." He began to pat down his jacket looking for something to give in return. "Er, I give you in return air from my lungs." He breathed out. Jabe seemed surprised and intrigued. I giggled slightly.

"How intimate." She breathed out.

"There's more where that came from." The Doctor replied with a smile. He didn't quite seem like he was flirting back. It was almost as if he was oblivious to her connotations.

"I bet there is." She smirked and walked away. I giggled again. The Doctor gave me a curious look but I simply shook my head.

"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." The steward announced as a large glass case wheeled into the room. There was an extremely large head filling it. I wanted to study them more but the small blue alien on a pod came up to us.

"The Moxx of Baloon." The Doctor greeted.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas." They said with a high pitched voice before spitting on Rose's face.

"Thank you very much." The Doctor thanked. I giggled at Rose who hit my arm. It didn't stop the laughter.

"They spit on me." She complained while wiping away the spit. I pulled out a rag from my bag that I still had slung over my shoulder and handed it to her. She nodded in thanks. Next, the robed beings came up to us.

"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor breathed on them. One of them held out a small metal ball in their metallic hand. The Doctor accepted it and handed it to Rose. This seemed much more thankful for this gift over the spit from before.

"A gift of peace in all good faith." The voice was hollow. They moved on and the steward spoke once again.

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen." A metal frame was wheeled in by two men in full white hospital attire. In the frame was a large thin piece of stretched skin with a face in it. She was the first person to actually surprise me.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." She called out and the two men used pump bottles to spritz her with something. "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry." One of the men dabbed a cloth beneath one of her eyes. "But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg." A large egg on a pedestal was wheeled over. "Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." Rose had started walking over to Lady Cassandra. She circled the frame, staring at how thin she was. Her eyes were wide once again. A mint condition 50's jukebox was wheeled in. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" Tainted Love by Soft Cell started playing. This made me smile.

"Not quite an iPod, but good song. Though I prefer some of the covers of it." I joked to the Doctor. He started bobbing his head and smiling.

"I rather like this version." He smiled.

"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." The steward announced. People started socializing. I looked over to see Rose run out of the room. The Doctor and I started after her. Jabe stopped us.

"Doctor?" She asked.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I'll see you in a minute." I said to him. "Sorry to be rude but I need to go find someone." I turned to Jabe before running away to find Rose. I ran down several halls before finding her. "Hey. Rose. Wait up." I called to her. She stopped and turned to me. She looked upset. I ran over to her and pulled her into a hug. "It's alright." We continued walking and found a window to watch the sun expanding. We turned around as a young blue woman came around a corner. She was wearing what you would expect a stereotypical maintenance person wearing: overalls and a baseball cap.

"Sorry. Are we allowed to be in here?" Rose asked gently. The woman stared at us for a minute before speaking quietly.

"You have to give us permission to talk." She said timidly, not quite meeting our eyes. I felt so awful for her.

"Of course you have permission to talk." I offered kindly.

"Thank you. And, no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere." She smiled, finally meeting our eyes.

"Okay." Rose commented, still seeming nervous. The woman walked over to a grate and started to open it.

"What's your name?" I asked the woman. She turned to face me.

"Raffalo." She replied.

"Raffalo?" Rose asked.

"Yes, miss. I won't be long, I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water." She explained.

"So you're a plumber?" Rose asked.

"That's right, miss." Raffalo nodded.

"They still have plumbers?" Rose continued with her questioning.

"I hope so, else I'm out of a job." Raffalo joked. I smiled.

"I figure if there's plumbing, there's still got to be someone to fix it." I added to Rose who nodded in agreement. I turned back to Raffalo, feeling bad that I was keeping her from working but enjoying seeing how happy she seemed to have guests talking to her. "So, where are you from? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's alright. Crespallion." She smiled.

"That's a planet, is it?" Rose asked.

"No. Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty six. And where are you two from, misses? If you don't mind me asking." She once again looked away. It was as if no one ever gave her the courtesy of conversation as an equal.

"We don't mind at all." I answered quickly, trying to reassure her that she was well within her rights to ask.

"Er, I don't know. A long way away. We just sort of hitched a lift with this man. We didn't even think about it. Well, I didn't really. Nix did. Still, we don't even really know who he is. He's a complete stranger. Anyway, don't let us keep you. Good luck with it." Rose explained.

"Thank you, miss. And thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate." Raffalo smiled softly.

"You're welcome. We'll see you later." I smiled as Rose and I walked away. We found ourselves back in the smaller observation room. It was labeled Gallery 15. We sat on one of the benches. She was rolling the ball around in her hands while I was studying the plant.

"Earth Death in twenty five minutes." A computer announced.

"Oh, thanks." Rose pouted.

"Rose, hun, don't worry. Here, hold onto this. It's quite comforting." I offered her the plant. She put the ball on the ground behind us and took the plant from me. She stared at it for a while, just observing it like I had.

"Hello. My name's Rose. That's a sort of plant." She said softly.

"You might be related." I joked. She smiled a little.

"I'm talking to a twig." She huffed.

"Be nice. I personally like it and I'd rather call them a plant." I chastised.

"Them?" She questioned, looking at me as if I was out of my mind.

"Well. Jabe said it was a cutting of her grandfather. Therefore it could become a tree person. I'm not sure if it would be a male or female so I'm going with 'them'." I explained.

"You're mad. You know that?" She teased.

"Always have been." I chuckled, causing her to smile a little.

"Rose? Phoenix? Are you two in there?" The Doctor asked from outside the room. The door opened and he came in. "Aye, aye. So, what do you think then?" He asked as he came over to us.

"Great. Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper. They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien." Rose was getting nervous again.

"It's alright. We're fine." I gave her hand another squeeze.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South." The Doctor tried to joke.

"Where are you from?" Rose asked, a hint of something more than curiosity in her voice.

"All over the place." He was avoiding the question, quite obviously.

"They all speak English?" She continued, referring to the people in the observation deck.

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the Tardis. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates." He shrugged.

"It's inside our brains?" She was getting even more agitated. I didn't know how to calm her.

"Well, in a good way." He tried to unsuccessfully calm her.

"Your machine gets inside our heads. It gets inside and changes our mind, and you didn't even ask?" She shrieked.

"Rose, breathe." I said softly. She ignored me.

"I didn't think about it like that." The Doctor seemed shocked that it upset her so much. It slightly shocked me that I wasn't even bothered at this new information. I guess it explained the comforting feeling I felt when I was inside the Tardis. I never felt uncomfortable or threatened by it so I didn't mind. Rose's comment about me being mad was starting to seem a bit more accurate. My own actions were beginning to surprise me. I tuned back into the conversation to hear Rose yelling at the Doctor.

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. Who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?" She yelled. I wanted to tell her she was being a bit snippy with him, but I was curious as well. I had only wished she had gone about it in a more civil way.

"I'm just the Doctor." He tried.

"From what planet?" She demanded.

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" He snapped, obviously she had struck a chord with him.

"Where are you from?" She continued to demand.

"What does it matter Rose?" I asked her, my own temper beginning to grow.

"I just want him to tell us who he is!" She snapped at me before glaring at him.

"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me." I could hear a hint of pain in his voice. There was something big he didn't want to tell us. I wanted to know but I hoped he would tell us in time.

"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me." She demanded. She was starting to show her only child attitude again. I had finally had enough.

"Shut up! Rose, you're being rude. I get it. You want to know about him and who he is. It's smart to know a person that you're traveling with, but you're not going about it the right way. Has you yelling ever helped? No. And Doctor. I know there's something you're not saying. It bothers me but I'm willing to let it go for a bit. Now both of you just need to stop and breathe for a minute!" I snapped, before moving to sit down and calm my breathing. They stayed silent for a minute.

"Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes." The computer announced. Rose came over and sat on my right.

"I'm sorry Nix. I know you hate yelling. I'm just stressed out. This is all just so strange." She tried to apologize. "But how are you handling all of this so well?"

"I don't know. You've always called me mad for believing in weird and impossible things. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am mad. But at least I'm not yelling at the person who brought us here." I offered, still upset.

"You're right. As my mate Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver." She sighed and took out her phone. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range." She scoffed.

"Just a bit." I rolled my eyes.

"Tell you what." He held out his hand she put her phone in it. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery." He took the back off and started messing with it.

"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" She joked. I relaxed, seeing them attempting to say sorry without actually saying it.

"Yeah. I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you two?" He joked.

"Nah. We failed hullabloo." I added with a chuckle. He and rose joined in my laughter. He handed her phone back.

"Yours too Phoenix." He held out his hand. I gave him my phone and he messed with it as well before handing it back. "Universal roaming." He smiled. Rose walked away and called Jackie. I tuned her out. "How are you _really_ handling this?" He asked me.

"I'm alright. I guess I'm worrying myself a little with how well I'm handling it all. I honestly expected that I would react like Rose, but, for some reason, I'm actually okay." I shrugged. Rose came back with a smile when she was done on the phone.

"Sorry I didn't have you talk to her. You two were talking so I just told her you were sleeping off a hangover." Rose said nervously.

"Well at least it's believable." I joked.

"I just can't believe I called her." She smiled.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill." The Doctor joked.

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead." Rose's smile slowly faded.

"Bundle of laughs, you are." The Doctor frowned.

"Your mood swings are worse than mine." I grumbled, wishing that her good mood had stayed. The station shook violently for a minute. "Was that supposed to happen?" I questioned nervously.


	7. The End of the World - Part 2

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you for the follows and favorites. It's what keeps me writing. I also love getting reviews. They help me know what you like and what I should change. I'm a bit tired while uploading this so I'm sorry for any mistakes I make. I hope you enjoy. Just a bit of explanation: The reason I have the M rating is because there may be a gradual increase in swearing on Nix's part and eventually there may be 'adult situations', but that will be a bit in the future.

* * *

_Previously: "Your mood swings are worse than mine." I grumbled, wishing that her good mood had stayed. The station shook violently for a minute. "Was that supposed to happen?" I questioned nervously._

* * *

"No. It wasn't." His frown deepened. He got up and moved to the door. I put the cutting of Jabe's grandfather into my bag before Rose and I quickly followed. We made our way back to the observation gallery. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that. What do you think, Jabe? Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?" He asked as we walked over to Jabe.

"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." She shrugged and shook her head.

"Where's the engine room?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you, your wife, and your blonde friend." She offered.

"I'm not his wife." I said quickly, confused as to why she would think so. She turned to Rose.

"Neither are my wife." The Doctor explained.

"Partners?" She continued.

"No." I shook my head.

"Concubines?"

"Nope."

"Prostitutes?" Rose and I were both getting offended by her line of unnecessary questioning.

"Whatever we are, it must be invisible. Do you mind? Tell you what, you guys go and do whatever. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose snapped.

"Rose." I went to follow her.

"No. Go, keep him out of trouble. He seems to listen to you pretty well." She joked. I sighed and stayed with the Doctor and Jabe.

"Don't start a fight." The Doctor called after Rose. She continued walking. "Shall we?" He offered his arms to Jabe and I.

"I want you two home by midnight." Rose teased. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes." The computer announced. The countdown was sounding more and more like a countdown to danger. It made me uneasy. We walked down a couple hallways and made it to the maintenance duct. We could only walk down the duct in single file. The Doctor led while I took up the rear.

"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?" He asked Jabe.

"There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind." She explained.

"You mean the computer?" I asked. She turned and nodded at me.

"But who controls that?" The Doctor asked.

"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic even to another." She added.

"But there's no one from the Corporation on board?" He questioned.

"They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong." Jabe seemed so sure of herself.

"So, it's unsinkable?" I questioned, the knot in my throat growing. Jabe turned to face me.

"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate." She agreed.

"That's the worst thing to ever call something. Ever." I complained.

"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?" His voice began to show his worry. If he was nervous, I was beginning to become on edge.

"I'm afraid not." Jabe offered.

"Fantastic." The Doctor frowned.

"I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?" Jabe was confused.

"He was attempting to be sarcastic." I tried to explain without coming off as rude. She nodded though she didn't seem to quite understand.

"So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?" He asked as we continued down the duct.

"Respect for the Earth." She explained, though I saw her look away slightly.

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions." The Doctor tried.

"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions." She said a little dejectedly.

"In case your share prices drop? I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land." He continued.

"Slightly rude." I commented in passing. He sighed slightly and I couldn't help but smirk.

"All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest." She explained with a small smile.

"I absolutely love the tropical rainforest. I always wanted to visit." I muttered to myself. Jabe smiled at me warmly.

"Excuse me." The Doctor said as he scanned a door before a keypad. It flashed a message Access denied.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left. I scanned you earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." Jabe said sadly. It thoroughly confused me. She put her hand on his arm. He put his hand over hers. I backed off and gave them a moment. This was obviously hard for him and I wasn't sure that he wanted me to know what was going on. There was a strong urge to let him know I was there for support, but I didn't know how so I faced away. I turned back to them when I heard the door open. We walked inside a large engine room. There was a catwalk from one side to another with three large fans crossing it.

"That's an inconvenient placement of a walk way." I muttered.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" The Doctor asked, ignoring my comment. "That's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned. Bet they call it retro." He turned and scanned a panel on the wall before pulling off its cover. A metallic spider climbed out and scurried up the wall.

"What the hell is that?" I yelped, backing away from it. I was terrified of spiders. There was no real reason that I could think of. I don't remember any bad experiences with them, but every time I saw a spider, I reacted badly. At least this time I hadn't screamed in fear.

"Is that part of the retro?" Jabe questioned.

"I don't think so. Hold on." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the thing. It wasn't doing much so a tendril came from Jabe's arm as she lassoed it. She brought it back and held it out to the Doctor. "Hey, nice liana" He beamed.

"Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public." She replied shyly.

"Don't worry. We won't tell anyone." I smiled at her. She returned the smile.

"Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?" The Doctor thought out loud.

"What does it do?" Jabe and I both asked.

"Sabotage." He replied simply.

"Earth Death in ten minutes." The loudspeaker announced.

"And the temperature's about to rocket."

"Why is there always a countdown? Seriously." I growled.

"Come on." He called and we hurried back through the maintenance duct. Jabe stayed close by me.

"You say that you are not his wife, but you compliment him quite well. You reprimand him, explain his actions, and even seem to finish his thoughts." She commented as we ran.

"I simply seem to relate to him. He is alone. I was alone before I met Rose, the blond girl that is with us. Her mum raised me like her own for years." I explained sadly, hoping that the Doctor was too distracted to hear me. It embarrassed me admitting that I felt alone. Jabe seemed to understand and simply nodded. We rounded a corner and ended up outside the Steward's office. Smoke was flowing out from behind the door, and there seemed to be a blinding light filling the room. Several of the small assistants had gathered around the door. The Doctor ran up to them.

"Hold on Get back." He started messing with the small panel next to the door.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." The computer announced.

"Is the Steward in there?!" Jabe was frightened.

"You can smell him." I felt my stomach tighten. "Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend." He explained.

"Rose!" I cried out, taking off down the corridor. I wasn't sure why I thought Rose was in danger, but it just seemed likely. The Doctor followed me and we made our way back to the gallery room we had been in before.

"Sun filter descending." The computer announced.

"Anyone in there?" The Doctor asked.

"Let me out!" Rose cried out. My worst fear was realized at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, well, it would be you." He grumbled and started messing with the door.

"Rude! Rose! Don't worry!" I yelled to her after snapping at the Doctor.

"Open the door!" She yelled.

"Just hold on!" I called back. Once again I reminded myself that I was the big sister. I was supposed to keep her safe. My mind reeled. ~I should have stayed with her. I shouldn't have let her be on her own. She wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't left her alone. She wouldn't be in there if I hadn't gone with the Doctor and told him how to get her to come with.~

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." The computer brought me back from my spiraling thoughts. Then it changed. "Sun filter descending."

"Just what we need." The Doctor muttered as he continued to mess with the panel.

"Stop mucking about!" Rose cried.

"He's not!" I called back.

"It's fighting back. The lock's melted." He yelled. The computer kept switching between rising and descending. "The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there!" He called

"Where am I going to go, Ipswich?" She snapped.

"Earth Death in five minutes." The computer announced.

"Damned computer." I muttered. "Rose, get as low as you can, stay behind cover of some kind. We're going to fix this!" I yelled before the Doctor and I ran back to the Observation gallery and found Jabe.

"The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One.

"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall." Lady Cassandra asked, before calling out for her carers to moisturize her. I glared at her. There was something wrong with her attitude.

"Summon the Steward." The Moxx of Balhoon demanded.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead." Jabe replied sadly.

"Who killed him?" The Moxx asked.

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe. He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face." Lady Cassandra cried out.

"Easy way of finding out. Someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." The Doctor said as he took the spider from Jabe and set it on the ground. I ran to Cassandra, scanned her, before running to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Lady Cassandra yelled. Her constant vocalization was putting me even more on edge.

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it," The Doctor walked over to the robed beings. The leader reached out and tried to hit him. He simply pulled off its arm just as he had with the mannequin when we first met. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." He messed with a wire and the robed beings collapsed instantly. "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." He nudged the spider with his foot and it returned to Lady Cassandra. She looked livid, if a flap of skin with eyes and a mouth could look livid.

"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!" She called out and the two men with her lifted their spray nozzles toward us. Something in me finally snapped. It was almost as if any emotions other than anger had been shut off.

"What are you going to do, moisturize us to death?" I narrowed my eyes at her. Her eyes widened a little bit before she smiled.

"Feisty. But they have acid. You're too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face." She taunted.

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?" The Doctor asked from beside me.

"I had hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." She gloated.

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." He spat. It seemed to annoy him just as much if not more than me.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours and not this dark little thing by your side." I started making my way toward her but the Doctor grabbed my arm to stop me. I refused to look at him.

"Arrest her, the infidel!" The Moxx cried out.

"Oh, shut it pixie. I've still got my final option." She leered.

"Earth Death in three minutes." The computer announced.

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn." She laughed darkly.

"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe added.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." She giggled as the sound of explosions echoed around the Platform. "Force field's gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me."

"Safety systems failing." The computer announced.

"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." She smirked as she and her two attendants disappeared, teleporting off presumably to somewhere safe.

"Heat levels rising." The computer added.

"Reset the computer." The Moxx yelled.

"Only the Steward would know how." Jabe explained sadly.

"No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, Phoenix, come on. You lot, just chill." The Doctor spoke quickly. We ran back through the maintenance duct and into the engine room as the computer kept announcing the increasing and then critical heat levels. We looked around the room. "Oh. And guess where the switch is." I looked where the Doctor was looking. It was all the way across the catwalk, past the spinning fan blades. He turned and pulled a lever which slowed the fans a little, but as soon as he let go of it they returned to their normal speed. I crouched down and observed the distance between the catwalk and the blades. There was a surprising amount of space. Enough for me to fit under. I got back up as Jabe pulled the lever down and held it.

"You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place." The Doctor warned her.

"I know." She replied simply.

"Jabe, you're made of wood." I tried.

"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord, Phoenix" She tried. I quickly took off my bag and grabbed a water bottle out of it before tossing the bag to the floor. I turned to the Doctor, my mind made up.

"Keep her hydrated." I said sternly. His eyes grew wide.

"Don't you dare." He cried. I ignored him and ran at the blade, sliding underneath it. "Phoenix!" He yelled, trying to follow.

"Stay with her and keep her safe you idiot! I can do this." I snapped before repeating the process of running and sliding under the next blade. Their grip was loosening from the heat. The blades spun faster.

"Why are you doing this?" He demanded.

"Because people will die. We all will. If I can't do this, you're the back up plan." I yelled back.

"You remind me of someone I used to know." He said sadly.

"Were you afraid of her wrath?" I asked as I took off my shoes and socks, knowing I needed more traction. I tried to ignore the computerized countdown that was being broadcast, counting down the seconds.

"At times, yes." He admitted.

"Good. You should be terrified of mine. Now keep Jabe safe!" I yelled as I took another running start and dove under the last blade. I quickly got up and ran to the switch and quickly threw it.

"One. Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair." The computer announced. I let out a breath I had been holding in. I looked over to Jabe and the Doctor. He was dumping the last of the water over her.

"Are you two alright?" I asked, nervous. The blades started slowing down, allowing me to start walking back.

"Yeah. We're alright." He replied after talking to Jabe for a moment. His voice echoed frustration. I grabbed my shoes as I continued back to them. I looked them over to make sure that they truly were alright before sitting down to put my shoes back on. I could feel them looking at me.

"Glare all you want. It worked. That's all that matters." I finished putting my shoes on and stood up.

"Why would you risk your life?" He demanded, there was more than just anger in his voice but I couldn't place it.

"Doctor, everyone on this platform was in danger. If I had stayed with Jabe, I would have been too preoccupied with watching you to help her. I don't really have something to go back to. Don't say Rose and Jackie. They survived without me before, they could do it again. I don't even know who I really am. I can't remember anything of my parents but it must have been bad for me to run away and block out any memory of them. I am dispensable, you are not." I said firmly, picking up my bag. "Now, let's go find Rose and deal with the bitch Cassandra." I said, walking back toward the observation gallery. The Doctor and Jabe followed me without saying anything. Jabe stopped me before we entered the gallery. The Doctor continued on.

"He was truly upset." She told me gently, not critically like I had expected.

"I know." The guilt suddenly hit me. "I'll apologize to him later once we have both calmed down." I added.

"He told me it was his fault you were there, that you wouldn't be putting yourself in danger because of him. He wasn't as angry as you think. He felt more guilt and worry than anything." She added. I didn't know what to say. She pulled out her device and took a picture of me before walking into the observation gallery. I followed and walked over to Rose who engulfed me in a hug.

"Are you alright?" I looked her over, checking for any injury.

"Fine. Warm, but fine." We walked over to the Doctor. "You alright?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He smashed open the ostrich egg. There was a small device hidden within it. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He messed with the device.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." Cassandra laughed before beaming back onto the platform. When she realized where she was, she stopped laughing. "Oh."

"The last human." The Doctor snapped at her.

"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club." She tried, hoping her lie would work.

"People have died, Cassandra." The Doctor said darkly.

"You murdered them." I growled at her, my emotions had seemingly turned off again.

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter-" She started.

"And creak?" The Doctor asked.

"And what?" She asked nervously.

"Creak. You're creaking." I elaborated.

"What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturise me, moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" She cried.

"You raised the temperature." The Doctor explained.

"Have pity! Moisturise me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." She begged.

"Help her." Rose asked the Doctor.

"No, don't." I countered. Keeping my eyes on Cassandra.

"Why not?" Rose demanded, sounding appalled by my decision.

"She almost killed us all. She did kill a few. All of this destruction in hopes of money." I sneered.

"Everything has its time and everything dies." The Doctor tried to soften Rose's anger.

"I'm too young!" Cassandra cried before she dried out completely and exploded. Bits of skin went everywhere. I sighed, realizing how strange I had acted. I didn't want to face Rose or the Doctor so I walked over to Jabe and her two associates.

"Jabe?" I asked gently.

"Yes Phoenix?" She gave me a comforting look.

"You took a picture of me before coming in here. Were you trying to look me up on your device like you had with the Doctor?" I asked quietly, almost afraid of her response.

"Yes. You said you did not know who you really were, so I was hoping to help." She explained.

"Did you find anything?" My throat went dry as I asked this.

"I'm sorry, but no. The metal machine stopped working as soon as I tried to analyze you. The heat must have damaged it." She explained with a sad look upon her face. Part of me relaxed.

"That's alright. Thank you for trying." I smiled.

"You're welcome. Thank you for keeping me safe." She countered.

"That was the Doctor. But I can tell him you thank him."

"It was you who told him what to do. So, thank you Phoenix. Be safe in your travels." She put a hand on my shoulder.

"You too." I put my hand on her opposite shoulder. She smiled and let go before walking away. I turned around and found Rose and the Doctor standing at the large window.

"Shuttles four and six departing. This unit now closing down for maintenance." The computer announced as I walked over to the duo.

"The end of the Earth. It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just-" Rose started, she couldn't complete her thought.

"Sad." I added.

"Come with me." The Doctor offered his hands to me and Rose. We took them and walked to where the Tardis was. We went inside. I sat on the ground and waited for the Doctor to fly us to wherever our next destination was. I looked in my bag and noticed that the cutting of Jabe's grandfather was in there somehow safe, albeit a little dehydrated. When the shaking stopped, I stood up. The Doctor led us outside. We were back in Cardiff in our normal time. People continued on with their lives around us.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust, before its time." He explained sadly.

"What happened?" I asked as gently as I could.

"There was a war, and we lost." My heart broke for him.

"A war with who? What about your people?" Rose questioned.

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own 'cos there's no one else." I frowned in sadness.

"There's me." Rose offered.

"And me." I added.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" He asked us, sounding worried. I shook my head no.

"I don't know. I want. . . Oh, can you smell chips?" Rose asked with a smile, sniffing the air.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"I want chips." She beamed.

"Me too." He smiled. They turned to me.

"Nah. I'm good. You two go. I just want to sit and people watch for a bit." I offered with a soft smile.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah. Oh and is there somewhere I could plant the cutting of Jabe's grandfather? Does the Tardis have a garden or something?" I questioned, hoping my tone came off as happy rather than the distracted that I felt.

"Yeah. If you go in and ask, she'll show you the way." He explained. I smiled.

"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay." Rose joked, thankfully not really noticing my distance.

"No money." He laughed.

"What sort of date are you? Go on then, chips are on me." I offered some money to Rose.

"You sure you don't want to come?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm good. Go have fun." I urged.

"Want me to bring you back anything?" She offered.

"I'm fine. Thanks." I smiled.

"Okay. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." She joked and they started walking away. The Doctor glanced back at me once. I smiled and waved them on. Once they were out of sight, I quickly walked into the Tardis.


	8. Understanding

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. A big thank you to Rhenleore and TheDysfunctional for your reviews. As always: I love feedback. This is a bit of an in between chapter. This gives a bit of a look into Nix's story. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. :-)

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I stood in the middle of the console room, shifting on my feet, not sure quite how to address the Tardis.

"Uhm, Tardis, I'm not really sure how to address you. Do I just call you Tardis?" I muttered with a small chuckle.

_~You can call me Tardis or whatever you like.~_ I heard a females voice in my head. I jumped slightly and looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. Finally, it occurred to me that it was the Tardis speaking in my mind. I heard a light giggle when I realized this.

"You can speak with me?" I was in awe, still glancing around the room.

_~Yes. Though not many can hear me. The Doctor can, sometimes, other times I only let him know a general idea of what I'm thinking.~_ She explained. I thought for a minute about what she meant. Why wouldn't she want to tell him all she knew? There must have been a reason. She seemed so kind, she didn't seem like she would want to do anything harmful. I ran through reasons in my mind before choosing the most likely.

"It would muck things up a bit if he knew your intentions all the time?" I questioned, hoping that I was right..

_~That's one way of putting it.~ _I heard a chime like giggle.

"You said most people couldn't hear you?" I was confused. If most couldn't, why could I?

_~That is true. If it is not to much to ask, I think it would be best to keep this between us girls for now.~_ She added. If I could see a face for her, I imagined she would be smiling.

"It would only worry the Doctor wouldn't it?"

_~Yes. He is already confused as to why the psychic paper doesn't work properly with you. There will come a time where you can tell him about this though.~_

"Will you let me know when that time comes? I'm not sure if I will really know." I admitted.

_~Of course dear Phoenix.~_ I smiled when she called me that.

"Will I ever find out why I can hear you?" I questioned. She gave a noncommittal hum. I shrugged in surrender. "Ok. You can't tell me specifics. I won't push. Is there any way you could tell me where the garden is? I have a small tree clipping I would like to plant."

_~Go up the stairs to your left. Go down the hall. You will see your room and Rose's. The garden will be down the hall on your left.~_

"Thank you." I smiled and walked up the stairs and down the hall. Just like she had said, there were two doors on the left of the hall. The first one was a pale pink door. There was a golden nameplate that had 'Rose' etched in it with a flower design on either side of her name. A little ways down there was a dark blue door. There was a silver nameplate with 'Phoenix' etched in it. On either side of my name, there was a crescent moon and star. I smiled and continued walking down the hall. I finally came to a green door with GARDEN etched into the wood. I slid the door open. The view took my breath away. It was larger than any garden I had ever encountered. I couldn't quite see the other side of the room. There were dozens if not hundreds of different plant types around the room, many of which I had never seen before. There were walkways that had beautiful spiral designs in the bricks, and different types of seating scattered around the room. There was a small waterfall and pond at the bottom of it at the end of one of the walkways. The ceiling looked like a greenhouse ceiling showing a bright sunny day. The light warmed my skin. Along the ceiling, above the walkways, there was a metal track. I looked around and saw a couple egg shaped hanging wicker basket seats that were connected to the track. In front of the closest hanging seat was a large plot of fresh soil. On the path next to it sat a spade, fertilizer, and a watering can. I smiled and thanked the Tardis once again. I took a large hair tie off my left wrist and put my hair up before I rolled up my pants started to work on transplanting the small sprig. When I was done I washed my hands in a sink along the wall where the door was. Unfortunately, it also washed off the foundation that was covering the few scars littering the side of my wrist that had been covered by the hair tie. I shrugged it off figuring I could apply the foundation when I went to bed then climbed into the hanging chair.

_~Why do you do that?~_ She questioned me. I looked down at the tiny scars hidden on the right side of my wrist and shrugged. No one had ever noticed them, so I had never had to really explain them.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure. It's how I deal with things. If I become too overwhelmed, I go to that. It makes everything stop racing for a bit." I tried to explain.

_~Please let me know if you think of doing it again. I can warn the Doctor or Rose.~_ I smiled sadly at her concern.

"Please don't tell him." I begged. "I really don't want to worry them."

_~I won't tell him unless I have to, but he is already worried about you. They both are.~_

"You got that from their thoughts?" I knew she could enter our minds but I wasn't sure how extensive her abilities were.

_~I didn't have to. I could see it in the way they looked at you when you came inside after Platform One. They were exceptionally worried when you simply sat on the floor.~_ I nodded sadly, before deciding to change the subject.

"I hate to ask you this, but could you help me remember to come in here and take care of the tree?" I asked.

_~Of course. Do not hesitate to ask me for help with anything dear Phoenix. Why don't you tell me about what happened earlier, or talk about what is bothering you so much. It might help you.~_ She suggested. I sighed.

"It feels kind of odd just talking out loud to you, but it might help. I don't know if you know or not, I don't really know if you're able to see my memories or not, but I don't really remember much before Rose's mom Jackie found me. She took me in, fed me, cleaned me up, clothed me, then brought me to the police station. I told them the only things I could remember: my name was Phoenix and my birthday. Other than that, all I could remember was wandering London for a couple weeks before being found. They took my picture and checked for any missing persons reports matching me. They even checked with the FBI in the states. Nothing turned up. They even checked my dental records. They couldn't find any existence of me. Jackie offered to take me in. They agreed to let me go with her since I was 16. They gave me information on how to change my name from Phoenix Doe to Phoenix Tyler but it would take time and cost money. I didn't want Jackie to have to pay that so I just didn't go through with it. From the beginning, I tried to distance myself. I became more of a tenant than family. I got a job to help pay half of the bills. I care about their well being but, I don't know. I just have this empty feeling inside me. It must sound stupid." I shrugged as I heard her give a disapproving hum. There was a knock on the door frame. I spun the chair around to see the Doctor standing there, looking a bit sheepish.

"Hey, I just wanted to check and see how you were doing." He looked like a kid who was about to be chastised.

"I'm. . . fine. . . for the most part." I offered. "How long have you been there?" I wasn't really mad, just curious.

"Ever since you asked her to help you remember to tend to your tree." He looked down. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Rose and I are worried."

"It's fine." I shrugged. "If I really didn't want to be found I would have just locked the door."

"Can I come join you?" He asked. Hope filled his eyes.

"Sure." He walked over to another hanging chair and slid it near mine. I spun back to face the plants. He faced the same way.

"So, you were talking to the Tardis?" He asked, sounding happy.

"Yeah. She's very comforting. It's like when you get sad, she kind of envelops me in a warm mental hug. I probably sound mad." I shrugged.

"Not at all." He reassured me. "You were just born with a low level telepathic field. That's why the psychic paper doesn't work properly with you and it will explain why you'll feel the Tardis's presence a bit more strongly than others. It's alright though. There's nothing wrong with that." He explained. I paused for a moment. He didn't seem mad so I figured it was as good of a time as I was going to get.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did on platform one. I just had this strong feeling that if you hadn't stayed with Jabe, she would have died." I admitted, not looking at him.

"It's alright, it's just. . . there are some things you need to know about time travel. I should have told you this before but, well, I didn't think it was necessary." He paused. "Time can change. There are certain events that need to happen, other things can be changed. I can see all of this."

"I'm sorry. Did I change something that wasn't supposed to be changed?" I felt horrible.

"No, you didn't. It could have gone either way." He reassured me gently.

"Then why were you so upset with me?" If I didn't change something that was supposed to happen, why had he gotten upset?

"I was upset 'cos in almost every version of you keeping her alive, you ended up getting killed. I didn't want to risk that." He admitted.

"I'm alright though. I'm sorry for worrying you, but I just knew that if I had let you go instead of me, she would have died. I don't really know how to explain it."

"Do you get feelings like this often?" His question caught me off guard. I thought for a minute.

"Not really. It's kind of like an intuition thing. Like when I figured Rose was in danger after we found out what happened to the Steward. There was no way of knowing, but I just felt like it was her. It's one of the things that has been worrying me." I admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just not acting like myself, or to put it more accurately I'm not acting like the me that I've known since I was 16. The usual me would have thought about options, like lodging something in the lever to keep it from popping back up. Now I just rush in head first. And there's this anger without feeling anything anything else. I've always had a temper when it came to people hurting those I care about, that's nothing new. I once broke a guys nose simply for saying hateful things to Jackie while breaking up with her. Now, for example: with Cassandra, it was different. I've never wanted anyone to die before, but with her I just didn't care. It felt like every emotion except for anger just disappeared. The sad thing is, I'm not really that worried about the fact that I'm changing. I'm much more worried that I will do something that will make you or Rose hate me and want me to leave." I admitted, finding it difficult to really explain how I felt.

"That's not going to happen. Don't worry." He tried to reassure me.

"I am a worrier though. When I'm not being sarcastic or temperamental, I'm worrying." I huffed and leaned back in the chair. He chuckled at me. I looked at him and his eyes held a mix of entertainment and sadness. "What is it?"

"Like I said before you remind me of an old friend. Even more so right now." He smiled.

"What do you mean?" I was curious.

"She had an attitude like yours. Very sarcastic and headstrong. Then, there's the way this room is set up." His eyes glanced around the large room.

"What about the room? It was like this when I came in."

"I can manually create rooms in the Tardis or she can create them from a persons thoughts. Yours and Roses bedrooms are designed based around your personalities and what kinds of things you like. She gets a reading from you and creates it. She even changes other rooms based on what you want or need. Last time, it was a little overrun and warn down looking. I haven't been in here in a very long time."

"Because of the friend?" I tried asking carefully, not wanting to cause him any more pain than he was already feeling.

"Yes. She loved it in here. Though, back then, it looked a bit different. The seats were hanging hammocks instead of these chairs, the paths weren't so intricate, and she had dehumidifier book cases around the room." He reminisced with a smile.

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Why?"

"It can't be easy remembering someone that you lost. It never is. Or at least I think it isn't. Can't really remember losing anyone." I rambled a bit.

"It's alright."

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask this for my own sanity. Were you and she more than friends?" I didn't want to ask the question. I was terrified that it would hurt him, but I needed to know. It would drive me insane until I knew.

"What? No, she was my very best friend though. Why did you say you had to ask for your sanity?" He thankfully didn't seem really hurt by my question, just surprised.

"I'm sorry but if I reminded you of a lost lover, I would feel a little awkward. I don't want to be some kind of substitute or replacement. I mean you seem like a good guy and all but I want us to be friends because we get along, not because of who I remind you of." I explained nervously, hoping that he would understand what I meant.

"Don't worry. I'm not using you to replace her. I genuinely want you here. You're a surprisingly strong and fascinating woman. Plus, you do keep me in check every now and then despite how annoying it can be." He explained. I laughed. We went silent for a little bit. I almost jumped when he spoke again. "You said earlier that you can't remember much before you were found. I can help you remember if you would like." He offered.

"How?" I questioned, turning to face him.

"I could enter your mind and try to see why you can't remember." I thought for a couple minutes.

"Not just yet." I said quietly.

"Why?" He seemed genuinely curious as to why I wouldn't want to know.

"Before we left Platform One, Jabe tried to search for me just as she had with you. Her device stopped working as soon as she started the analysis. It was then that I realized, I was kind of grateful for not knowing. I was terrified of what she might find. When she told me it stopped working, I was surprisingly relieved. I'm just not ready to know yet." I knew it didn't make sense, but it made sense to me.

"Well, the offer will always stand. Whenever you're ready, I'm here." He offered.

"Thanks."

"You should go talk with Rose if you get the chance. She's really worried about you." He nudged me on.

"Alright. Thanks for talking to me. I appreciate it." I thanked him and stood.

"Any time." He nodded and I walked out of the room. I let my hair down and put the hair tie back on my wrist. I stood in front of Rose's door for a minute before getting up the nerve to knock.

"Rose, it's me, are you still up?" I asked softly, hoping she was awake still. I heard movement and the door opened. She hugged me tightly. I smiled and hugged her back. "What's wrong?" I asked her softly. She took a step back.

"I was just really worried. I was afraid that you were going to leave." She said sadly.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." I joked. She smiled and gestured for me to come into her room. It looked very much like her. The room was filled with a desk, dresser, closet, bed, end table and door to what I guessed was a bathroom. The room was white with shades of pink.

"Isn't it neat?" She beamed.

"So very you." I chuckled.

"What about yours?" She asked.

"I haven't checked it yet. I was in the garden down the hall." I explained.

"Did the Doctor talk to you?" She sat on her bed and put her hands in her lap. She was looking at her hands when I sat down. "I asked him where you were. He said the Tardis told him you were in the garden. I asked him to talk to you first."

"Why him first?" I questioned.

"Because I was worried that you were mad at me after Platform One. I know how much you hate fighting. I remember you telling me one night that you hated it because your parents used to fight so much." She spoke softly. My eyebrows knit together.

"What? When did that happen? I don't remember that." I had absolutely no memory of telling her this and while thinking about it, I couldn't recall my parents at all.

"A couple months ago. We had come home from drinking. I got you in bed and you told me why you had snapped at Mickey for arguing with someone. I tried asking you more but you fell asleep. After that I decided not to push." She shrugged.

"I guess I can only remember things while drunk." I gave a soft laugh. She smiled slightly.

"Are you okay though?"

"Yeah. I'm just worried that I'm going to do something to make you or the Doctor hate me. I've been acting different lately and I just don't want to hurt you somehow." I explained briefly.

"I couldn't hate you. We may fight, but I'll never hate you. Promise." She hugged me before yawning. I chuckled.

"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll see you in the morning." I suggested. She nodded. We bid each other goodnight before I left her room and entered my own. It was perfect. The walls were a dark midnight blue, the floor a dark cherry oak. There was a large black wardrobe and a large black desk. There was a door to a walk in closet and another door that led to a black and white marble bathroom. The bed was a king sized four poster bed. There was a black curtain surrounding the black satin covered bed. Each side of the bed had a black night stand. In one corner of the room was a large black overstuffed chair. It was absolutely perfect. I reapplied the make up to my wrist and let it dry before crawling into the soft bed. I turned off the lamp sitting on the nightstand. The walls lit up with what looked like little stars. The ceiling had spiraling galaxies. I smiled and slipped into a comfortable sleep.


	9. The Unquiet Dead - Part 1

A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you for the lovely reviews. :-) The out fit for this is on polyvore. ( /unquiet_dead/set?id=151651731 ) Sorry if I start taking a while in between updates. I've caught up with what I have written so it might take a bit. I try to write up an entire episode before putting up chapters so that I don't have to go back and change something later. As always, let me know what you think in a review. They keep me going. Enjoy :-)

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I woke up to a gentle humming in my head. I sat up and tried to orient myself. The previous day slowly came back to me and I realized that I was in my room on the Tardis. The humming was her way of waking me up.

"Are they both awake?" I questioned, not really feeling weird talking out loud to her anymore.

_~Yes. They're in the control room and the Doctor asked me to wake you.~_ She explained.

"Thank you. Could you please let him know that I'll be there in a minute?" I asked as I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up. She hummed in my head. I fixed my hair and makeup before leaving my room and making my way to the control room. Rose saw me first. She smiled brightly.

"Morning." She beamed.

"Morning." I smiled back at her. The Doctor turned to face me. He smiled when he saw me smiling as well.

"Ready for your next adventure?" He asked, looking excited.

"Of course." I walked over to where they were standing. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go." I joked. They laughed and he started moving around the console, occasionally telling us to hold down buttons or levers.

"Hold that one down!" He called at Rose as the Tardis shook violently.

"She's holding the other one down." I told him, trying to keep myself upright.

"Well, hold them both down." He replied, pulling another lever.

"It's not going to work." She whined trying to reach across the console.

"I got it." I said as I pulled myself over to the lever and held it down.

"Oi! I promised you two a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" He asked with laughter in his voice.

"What happened in 1860?" Rose questioned.

"I don't know, let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" He pressed one last button and the Tardis shook even more violently. My grip on the console tightened as we were thrown about. We finally landed. Rose and the Doctor had fallen to the floor whereas I had been able to hold on tight enough to keep myself up.

"Blimey!" Rose called out as she started lifting herself from the floor.

"You're telling me." I laughed, watching them try to get up and dust themselves off.

"Are you two alright?" The Doctor asked as he stood.

"Yeah. I think so. Nothing broken." Rose looked herself over.

"I'm just fine." I giggled.

"How did you not fall?" He asked, looking confused since even he had fallen.

"I held on tight. No offense, but I really don't trust your driving." I explained. He pouted and Rose laughed at us. I let go of the console and cracked my fingers from my tight grip. I could hear the Tardis laughing at our antics and smiled.

"Did we make it?" Rose questioned. "Where are we?" I loved how excited she was. I was excited as well but with her it was like a child opening presents. Her excitement was infectious. It warmed me.

"I did it." He beamed.

"Give the man a medal." I teased. He wrinkled his nose in reply before he continued talking.

"Earth, Naples, December 24th 1860." He looked so very proud of himself.

"That's so weird. It's Christmas." Rose mused.

"All yours." The Doctor chuckled.

"But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago." She looked at the Doctor in awe.

"No wonder you never stay still." I told him, seeing a little glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Not a bad life." He smiled.

"Better with three. Come on, then." Rose beamed, moving toward the doors.

"Hey, where do you think you two are going?" He asked as I began to follow Rose. We turned back to face him. He was still standing at the console with his arms crossed. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"1860." She explained, wondering why he had stopped us.

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarellas. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" He called to us, pointing down a hallway.

"Yeah, I'm just going to ask the Tardis." I scoffed as I pulled Rose with me. "Tardis, dear, could you show us to the wardrobe please?" I asked aloud. A new door sprouted up at the end of the hallway. Rose's eyes went wide.

"How?" This was all she could manage.

"All you have to do is ask and she helps. She's awesome like that." I beamed, hearing the Tardis giggle in my mind. We walked inside and started looking through some dresses.

"I have no idea what to wear. What kind of dress do you wear in the 1860s?" She pouted, still looking through rows and rows of clothing. I walked over and picked out a couple for her to try on. There were a couple dressing rooms off to the side of the room.

"Try these on. They're your kind of style." I laughed as she nodded and walked off. I began to look for a dress for myself. I finally found the one that felt right. It was beautiful. The bodice and main part of the skirt were a crimson red. It had thin straps and a red bow at the bottom of the neck. The front of the skirt was pulled up in two places, showing a black under skirt. I quickly tried it on. It fit perfectly. I started looking at accessories while rose continued to change. I found a black shoulder wrap and a pair of black, small heeled boots. I tucked my necklace into the bodice as Rose came out of the changing room.

She had picked out the third dress I had handed her. It had a tight black corset bodice with a red skirt that was a shade or two darker than my own. We quickly found a black shoulder wrap for her along with some shoes and a black hand warmer. I didn't feel comfortable being without a purse so I grabbed a black evening clutch that had a silver chain and diamond embroidery. I quickly put my most used items in it and hung my purse on the back of the main door. I left my hair down in waves but helped rose to put hers up in a nice up-do. When we were done, we made our way back to the console room. The Doctor was working on something under the console when we walked in. He popped up when he heard us enter.

"Blimey!" He looked us over. I suddenly felt exposed, wondering if I had made the right decisions in clothing.

"Don't laugh!" Rose chastised him.

"You two look beautiful." He paused. "Considering."

"Considering what?" I glared at him, not really angry.

"That you're human." He chuckled. I muttered 'strange man' which earned a confused glance from the Doctor, even though I had thought it impossible for him to hear me. I shrugged.

"I think that's a compliment. Don't you Nix?" Rose asked me with a smile. I just laughed and shook my head. She turned back to the Doctor. "Aren't you going to change?" She questioned him.

"I've changed my jumper. Come on." He started toward the door.

"Really? We have to go and put on these things but all you have to do is change jumpers?" I questioned. We had gone through the effort of changing and making sure we would fit in the time period, it was only fair that he at least did something other than change his jumper. I frowned when he ignored me and continued walking. Rose and I walked past him.

"You stay there. You've done this before. This one is ours." Rose smirked and we walked over to the door. I stuck my tongue out at him before standing next to Rose. She opened the door to a snowy area. My smile widened. I loved the smell of fresh snow. She linked arms with me.

"Ready for this?" I asked, my face aching from the smile. Hers matched my own.

"Here we go. History." She beamed as we stepped into the freshly fallen snow. The chilly air made us clutch our wraps closer around us. I spun around with Rose giggling at me. Soon she joined me. We walked for a little bit with the Doctor trailing after us. We passed a group of carolers singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. This warmed me. The Doctor fell behind a little bit, so I turned to see why. Rose stopped as well but continued looking around. He was paid for a newspaper and was looking at it while catching up to us.

"I got the flight a bit wrong." He said sadly.

"We don't care." I suggested. Rose quickly agreed with me.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869." He added.

"Not a big deal. 9 years." I shrugged it off, walking over to Rose who continued to walk on.

"And it's not Naples." I glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.

"I don't care." Rose called back to him in a sing song voice as we continued on.

"It's Cardiff." He deadpanned. We stopped and turned to him.

"Right." Rose frowned a little.

"You really should work on your landings." I teased, then turned around trying to hide my face. A worry washed over me. The Tardis's words came back to me. Sometimes she couldn't tell him her intentions. I frowned but tried to push it from my mind. Maybe there was just something intriguing about being here. It didn't always have to be a bad thing, right? I shook myself and tried to cheer up as we walked near a theater. The air filled with screams.

"That's more like it!" The Doctor beamed. I sighed and hiked my dress up as we took off running. Luckily the heels on my boots were wide and short enough to allow me to run.

"Of course! Always!" I groaned inwardly. As we neared, people began fleeing the theater. We found a way inside without getting trampled. There was a woman standing in front of her seats. She seemed to be what everyone was fleeing from. There was a woman glowing blue standing in one of the rows. On the stage stood a man who had been performing or something.

"Fantastic." The Doctor smiled, looking around at the chaos of the theater. I rolled my eyes at him, trying to dodge the fleeing occupants while following him. He made his way to the stage and toward the man standing on it. I looked back to see the glowing woman collapse, a blue wisp came from her. "Did you see where it came from?" The Doctor asked the man on the stage.

"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he?" I trust you're satisfied, sir!" The man snapped, assuming that the Doctor was the one that had caused the panic and had somehow been behind the strange woman. A man and woman went and picked up the collapsed woman. Since Rose was closest, she ran toward them.

"Oi! Leave her alone! Doctor, I'll get them." She yelled back and took off toward the man and woman.

"Be careful!" The Doctor yelled before returning his attention to the man. I tried to run toward Rose but the crowd held me back. I started off polite, simply twisting and turning past people. Finally, when I lost sight of Rose, I became more aggressive, shoving people aside. When finally outside, I looked around, trying to see where exactly she had gone. I twisted around to see the man and woman putting an unconscious Rose into the hearse.

"What are you doing?" I screamed at them, as I started running. The man paused for a moment before turning and getting onto the front of the hearse. "Rose! I yelled as the Doctor ran up to me. He saw he hearse that I was screaming after.

"You're not escaping me, sir. What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?" The man demanded, then he noticed me. "Are you his accomplice?" He questioned.

"No." I snapped.

"Not now, thanks. Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" The Doctor demanded as we jumped into a nearby carriage. It didn't move though.

"I can't do that, sir." The driver responded.

"Why the hell not?" I yelled at him, ready to get out and drive the carriage myself. The Doctor gave my shoulder a squeeze, calming my anger slightly. But it only worked a tiny bit.

"I'll tell you why not. I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach." The man huffed.

"Get in then!" I growled at him.

"Move!" The Doctor added. Once the man was inside, the coach slowly started moving. Nowhere near as fast as I had hoped. "Come on, you're losing them.

"Everything in order, Mister Dickens?" The Driver asked.

"No! It is not!" The man said angrily, clearly frustrated with mine and the Doctor's attitudes.

"Wait, what did he say?" I questioned, realizing what the driver had called the man.

"Let me say this first. I'm not without a sense of humor." The man explained, trying to explain that he wasn't just a stuffy old man.

"Dickens?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes." The man responded. He seemed confused as to why it was important.

"Charles Dickens?" My eyes widened at the implications.

"Yes."

"The Charles Dickens?" The Doctor was getting excited. I was still frustrated, but in awe at the same time.

"Should I remove these two, sir?" The driver questioned from outside. I still wanted to punch him.

"Charles Dickens? You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?" The Doctor was rambling on in his excitement.

"A Christmas Carol?" I asked, trying to get him through this so we could return to finding Rose.

"No, no, no, the one with the trains. The Signal Man, that's it. Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius." He continued to gush.

"You want me to get rid of him, sir?" The driver asked again.

"Er, no, I think he and his lady can stay." I wanted to fight the urge to correct him but gave up, figuring it would do no good.

"Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan." The Doctor continued.

"A what? A big what?" The statement seemed to confuse Charles. He hadn't heard the phrase before, evidently. I started wondering when that term had been first used.

"Fan. Number one fan, that's me." I rolled my eyes at the Doctor.

"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?" I giggled slightly at his unfamiliarity with the term.

"He means that he likes your writing." I tried to explain for him.

"No, it means fanatic, devoted to. Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean, it's rubbish, that bit." The Doctor pulled a face. I turned and frowned at him.

"Rude again." I snipped. He glanced at me.

"I thought you said you were my fan." Charles seemed confused.

"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism. Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up. No, sorry, forget about that. Come on, faster!" The Doctor called out at the driver.

"Who exactly is in that hearse? Is she your wives sister?" He questioned.

"I'm not his wife." I tried to explain.

"They are good friends. I was escorting them home." He explained.

"She's my sister. She's only nineteen." My anger was slowly turning into fear. It was Platform One all over again. I wasn't there for her. I was going to lose her if we didn't hurry up. I couldn't lose her.

"It's my fault. She's in my care, and now she's in danger." The Doctor explained, grabbing my hand in a gesture of comfort. I was near tears at this point. "We'll get her. Don't worry." He whispered softly to me.

"Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books? This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!" Charles yelled at his driver.

"Yes, sir!" The driver replied, pushing the horses on. I was thankful that we were finally getting closer. The ever tightening lump in my chest loosened slightly.

"Thank you." I said gratefully. Charles nodded.

"Attaboy, Charlie." The Doctor beamed.

"Nobody calls me Charlie." Charles protested.

"The ladies do." The Doctor teased lightly. I smiled at him.

"How do you know that?" Charles asked.

"I told you, I'm your number one-" The Doctor started.

"Number one fan." Charles interrupted, sounding exhausted. I couldn't hold in my laughter. The Doctor pouted next to me, which only made me laugh harder. Even Charles gave out a light chuckle. "Are you sure you two are not a couple? I will not judge." His comment shocked me.

"What? No. Though you aren't the first to ask." I added.

"Why do you ask?" The Doctor questioned, surprising me. Normally it was me wondering why people thought we were a couple. Though I had to admit, he hadn't heard Jabe's comments to me on Platform One so he didn't really know why she assumed it.

"Well, you were escorting her and her sister home. Then there is the way you talk to each other. You speak as you have been married for years. And you reprimand him as a wife would." Charles explained, directing the last comment to me.

"We are just very good friends. And sometimes he does need a good reprimanding." I explained. Charles smiled at me. The carriage slowed to a stop outside a house. There was a sign that read Chapel of Rest. It was a funeral home. A shudder passed through me as I hurried out of the carriage. The men followed me as I went to knock on the front door. A young brunette woman answered the door.

"I'm sorry sirs. We're closed." She addressed Charles and the Doctor. I frowned.

"Nonsense. Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on a schedule. I demand to see your master." Charles argued with the girl.

"He's not in, sir." She lied, looking terrified.

"Don't lie to me, child. Summon him at once." Charles continued. The girl fidgeted slightly.

"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed." She continued, still fidgeting and not meeting our eyes.

"Miss, I saw you earlier. That girl is my sister, please just let us in." I begged. The anger began to well up in me. I had to find Rose. If she had been hurt there would be hell to pay. The girl shrank back at my words slightly.

"Having trouble with your gas?" The Doctor questioned. I followed his gaze to see the gas lamps flaring.

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Charles demanded. Not waiting for an answer, the Doctor and I began to move forward.

"You're not allowed inside, sir." The girl tried. I quickly spun and looked at her. She backed away from me and let us in.

"There's something inside the walls." The Doctor mused, standing close to the wall.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I joined him by the wall. Once I was standing next to him, I slowly started understanding what he meant. There was a faint whispering sound coming from behind the wall. It seemed to move in strange patterns. The whispering wasn't clear though, I couldn't make out if it was saying something or not. "What is that?"

"The gas pipes. Something's living inside the gas." The Doctor explained.

"Let me out!" I heard Rose scream from somewhere in the building.

"Rose!" I spun around and tried to find out where the noise was coming from. I ran down a hallway. "Rose, where are you?" I called out.

"Open the door!" She cried out from down the hall. The Doctor and Charles caught up with me as we ran into another man.

"How dare you! This is my house!" The man cried out, as if we had no reason to be there.

"Shut up." Charles snapped at the man. If I wasn't so angry at this new man, I would have thanked Charles.

"You, sir, need to get out of my way." I said slowly. The man looked insulted that I had talked to him that way in his own home. "Now!" He slowly stepped aside. The Doctor and I ran to the door that was currently being pounded on.

"Let me out! Somebody open the door! Open the door!" Rose cried out.

"Rose! We're here! Back up! We have to break down the door." I told her. I heard a shuffling sound, well two shuffling sounds. I quickly threw myself against the door but it didn't quite open. A sharp pain shot through my left shoulder and arm. I ignored it as the Doctor joined me and we were able to break the door down. Rose was being held by a man, who looked as the woman in the theater did. There was something inside him.

"I think this is my dance." The Doctor quickly pulled Rose away from the man. I pulled her into my arms and out of the room, as far away from the man as I could get her. Charles stepped in front of us to look at what was going on.

"Are you alright?" I anxiously asked, looking Rose over. She nodded, trying to calm her erratic breathing. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go off alone again." Guilt filled me as I held onto her.

"It's not your fault Nix. I ran off. You found me, though you cut it a bit close. But still, I'm fine. That's what matters." She tried to reassure me. I let her go, feeling a little better knowing that she was alright. She gave my left shoulder a reassuring squeeze and I yelped. "What happened?" She quickly removed her hand. I lifted my shoulder wrap to reveal an already forming bruise.

"Very sturdy door." I groaned. "Not important right now." We turned back to the room.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." Charles tried to rationalize the man, who was very obviously dead but still moving about. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry but I don't believe we are." I tried to convince him without putting him into shock. He didn't seem to believe me, as he shook his head at me and turned back to the Doctor and the corpse.

"She's right. We're no. The dead are walking." The Doctor explained as he faced us. He looked at Rose. "Hi."

"Hi. Who's your friend?" She questioned, looking at Charles.

"Charles Dickens." The Doctor replied before turning back to the corpse.

"Really?" She turned to me.

"Yep. A bit of a disbeliever, but still a nice man once you get to know him a bit." I nodded.

"Okay." She looked back at the Doctor, who was now addressing whatever was inhabiting the corpse of the man in the room.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" He questioned, observing the corpse closely.

"Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." The voice was twisted and had several tones to it. It sent shivers down my spine and made my stomach twist. The mass of voices seemed strained and sad. They sounded scared. The worry was slowly replaced by pity for whatever it was inhabiting the corpse. They cried out before the gas left the body and flew into the gas lamp. The body slumped over onto the floor. Rose and I quickly backed up until our backs hit the wall.


	10. The Unquiet Dead - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Sorry if this chapter is shorter than my usual ones. This episode turned out a bit longer than expected so it's in 3 parts. Please let me know what you think. I love suggestions and opinions. :-)

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_Previously: "Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." The voice was twisted and had several tones to it. It sent shivers down my spine and made my stomach twist. The mass of voices seemed strained and sad. They sounded scared. The worry was slowly replaced by pity for whatever it was inhabiting the corpse. They cried out before the gas left the body and flew into the gas lamp. The body slumped over onto the floor. Rose and I quickly backed up until our backs hit the wall._

* * *

We had moved into the living room of the funeral home. The owner, Mister Sneed, and Charles sat in chairs in the room. The young girl, Gwyneth, was making herself busy pouring tea. The Doctor stood at the mantlepiece in the room. Rose and I stood in front of Sneed, near the Doctor. Rose was fuming, my upset with the man growing as she yelled at him.

"Firs of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." She snapped at him.

"He did what?" I growled, having the urge to punch the man square in his nose.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" He cried back at her.

"Oh, you will! If you are lucky, that is all that will happen to you. You sick bastard." I moved to step closer to him but the Doctor grabbed my arm and pulled me back a bit. I huffed and pulled my arm out of his grasp, sending a wave of pain through my shoulder once again. Luckily the anger and adrenaline quickly numbed the pain.

"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!" Rose continued to yell at the man.

"It's not my fault. It's this house. It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs," Sneed paused, seeing the disapproving looks everyone seemed to be giving him. "the er, dear departed started getting restless." He tried to explain.

"Tommyrot." Charles rebutted.

"You witnessed it. Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps." Sneed insisted. Gwyneth walked over to the Doctor and put a mug on the mantlepiece that he was leaning on.

"Two sugars, sir, just how you like it." She said timidly. She turned to me. "Are you sure you don' t want anything miss?" She asked.

"I'm sure. Thank you though." I had forgiven her actions when I had realized that she did whatever Sneed told her. She was terrified of him. I should have realized earlier that she wasn't to blame. She had seemed so afraid when we reached the funeral home. She nodded at me and continued on, back to the teapot. I turned to Sneed. "What do you mean they hang on to scraps?" I questioned.

"One old fellow who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir, just as she planned." He addressed Charles rather than myself.

"Morbid fancy." Charles retorted.

"Oh, Charles, you were there." The Doctor tried to reason with him.

"I saw nothing but an illusion." Charles was hanging onto what little rationality he could muster given the circumstances. At first I couldn't blame him. For most, when you see something strange and unexplainable, you try to rationalize it. You try to explain away any little thing that seems impossible as a trick of the eye or a hallucination from exhaustion. I seem to be one of the strange exceptions to this habit.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up." The Doctor spat at Charles. I rounded on him.

"Stop being so rude." I muttered at him, keeping my voice low.

"We have more important things to deal with." He argued with me, his voice just as low as mine as if we were trying to keep our argument private.

"There are better ways to get your point across you idiot." I snapped. He rolled his eyes and turned back to Sneed.

"What about the gas?" He questioned, giving me a look as if to say 'see I can be nice'. I looked away from him, not willing to show him my annoyance.

"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that." Sneed explained with much less attitude than before.

"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." The Doctor explained, almost to himself. He seemed to do this quite a bit when he assumed that we wouldn't understand what he was talking about.

"What's the rift?" Rose questioned. I hoped that he would actually explain things in a way that would make sense to us instead of just assuming we couldn't possibly understand. I watched him carefully. He met my eyes before speaking.

"It's a weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another." He tried to explain, without sounding rude. I was thankful. Maybe my nagging was getting through. "That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time." Charles was now standing, looking incredulous and upset.

"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations." Sneed explained. It seemed as though Charles had heard enough. He quickly walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I frowned sadly at the door before turning to Sneed.

"What kind of stories?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine." He explained, finally willing to address me. Gwyneth walked out the door opposite the one Charles had left through. I glanced at the Doctor who nodded. He followed Charles while Rose and I followed Gwyneth. We found her in the pantry, lighting a gas lamp. Rose walked over to the dishes.

"You wash, I'll dry." She smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at her but joined her nonetheless.

"Please, misses, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right." Gwyneth tried to protest.

"Don't worry about it. I owe it to you for being so rude earlier. I let my worry and anger get the best of me." I apologized, handing Rose another dish to dry. I had been wanting to apologize to Gwyneth for a while but hadn't had the opportunity. She smiled gratefully at me.

"It is alright miss. You don't need to help me though." She gestured toward the dishes that Rose and I were finishing.

"Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death. How much do you get paid?" Rose interjected.

"Eight pound a year, miss." Gwyneth smiled happily.

"How much?" Rose was dumbstruck at the low number. I tried to see if I remembered just how much was normal for the time period, but came out empty handed.

"I know. I would've been happy with six." Gwyneth smiled. Evidently it was a lot for the time for her profession. At least she was happy. That's what really matters right?

"So, did you go to school or what?" Rose questioned Gwyneth, who looked almost insulted by Rose's insinuation.

"Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper." Gwyneth announced proudly. I smiled at her. I kept trying to see if I could remember anything about 1860's history other than Charles' works. It seemed as if anything other than major historic events had been blocked out with any other memories from before I was 16. It was a little more than annoying.

"What, once a week?" Rose continued questioning Gwyneth.

"We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second." She replied sheepishly, as if it were a horrible secret that she wasn't to tell anyone.

"Me too." Rose chuckled. I gave her a grin as she dried the last dish.

"I remember that all too well." I teased. "You used to ask me to pick you up during my lunches."

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own." Gwyneth giggled.

"I did plenty of that. Like Nix said, I used to go down to the shops with my mate Shareen. We used to go and look at boys." Rose giggled as well. I shook my head at her with a chuckle. I didn't want to encourage her leaving school, but a break every now and then wasn't too bad. Right? Gwyneth looked shocked at this.

"Well, I don't know much about that, miss." She looked down.

"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same." Rose tried.

"I don't think so, miss." Gwyneth continued to look down. I figured it was frowned upon to be looking after others without courting them.

"Gwyneth, you can tell us. I bet you've got your eye on someone." Rose prodded once again. I watched carefully, hoping that Gwyneth wouldn't get upset by this.

"I suppose. There is one lad." She sheepishly admitted. "The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." She smiled at the thought of this man. The smile warmed me.

"I've always loved a nice smile, the eyes are what get me though." I smiled at her.

"You always have had a fascination with peoples eyes." Rose chuckled at me. I looked at her. "Why is that? I mean, they're good to look at but you seem really interested in them."

"A persons eyes reveal quite a lot about them. You can see emotions, get an understanding of how they're feeling, see if they're being honest, and you get a true feeling of who they are." I shrugged. Rose seemed impressed by my detail of why I liked looking people in the eyes. "What about you?" I asked her.

"Good smile, nice bum." Rose giggled. I shook my head at her.

"Well, I have never heard the like." Gwyneth gasped.

"Ask the boy out." Rose suggested.

"Give him a cup of tea or something like that. It's a good start. It will get you two talking." I encouraged.

"I swear it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." She addressed Rose. I bit my lip to hold in laughter. Rose just smiled.

"Maybe I am." She started.

"Oh, you definitely are." I added. Rose laughed before turning back to Gwyneth.

"Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." She finished.

"Oh, now that's not fair. He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve." Gwyneth recounted sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rose apologized.

"I'm so sorry." I added.

"Thank you, misses. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, miss." Gwyneth addressed Rose. Both of our eyes widened at this. "And maybe you will meet your parents again miss." She addressed me this time. I felt my mouth go dry. As far as she knew, Rose was my sister. In fact, everyone except Rose and the Doctor believed she was my sister.

"Maybe. Er, who told you he was dead?" Rose asked suspiciously, giving me a questioning glance. I simply shook my head no, letting her know that it wasn't I who had told Gwyneth something. Gwyneth seemed shaken at this.

" I don't know. Must have been the Doctor." She tried to explain it away.

"Her father died years back. I don't believe the Doctor knows anything about it." I tried to gently explain to Gwyneth. "And I never said that Rose wasn't my sister."

"But she has been thinking about him lately more than ever. And you, you have so many unanswered questions about your family and existence." She seemed a little distant as she spoke to me.

"I suppose so. How do you know all this?" Rose asked carefully. She seemed more confused than worried. I, on the other hand, was concerned. I was worried for Gwyneth.

"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here." She paused before changing the subject. "I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you , misses?" She asked Rose.

"No, no servants where we're from." Rose shook her head.

"And you've both come such a long way." She became distant once again.

"What makes you think so?" I asked her gently. She looked at us both with slightly glazed over eyes.

"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you two, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness, the caged bird, and the big bad wolf. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, misses." She seemed more like herself now. The distant look was gone and her eyes had returned to normal. Still I wasn't reassured. For some reason the phrase 'the caged bird' echoed within me. My head started aching and my stomach turned. I tried to remain unfazed on the outside.

"It's alright." Rose comforted Gwyneth, giving me a questioning look. I gave a soft smile to tell her that I was fine.

"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mam said I had the sight. She told me to hide it." Gwyneth sounded close to tears. I didn't know what to say to comfort her.

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" All three of us turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway to the pantry. I was surprised that none of us had noticed him standing there.

"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." She continued.

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key." He explained to her gently.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts." She sounded distressed.

"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." He smiled at her. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What to do where, sir?" She questioned, just as confused as me.

"We're going to have a séance." He smirked, gesturing for us to come out of the pantry. Rose and Gwyneth led the group. The Doctor and I held back a bit.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. Maybe the headache had caused me to pale a bit. Maybe he was just asking about my outbursts earlier in the evening. I wasn't sure.

"Something doesn't feel right. I don't really spook easily, but this doesn't settle well with me." I stopped walking as another surge of pain filled my head. I slowed my breathing.

"What's wrong?" He asked me nervously.

"Just a headache. I get them all the time. Nothing big." I waved him off as I dug through my bag for a bottle of pills. I poured two into my hand and swallowed them without water. "I'll be fine in a little while. We should join the others." I continued on, slightly unsteady on my feet. He grabbed my arm to help me.

"Why don't you sit this out? You don't look very well." He suggested, leading me into the sitting room we had been in before. "Do you want to go back to the Tardis?" He asked.

"No, no way. I'm not leaving you two here alone. I just need a couple minutes and I'll be fine." I shook my head, dreading the idea of leaving him and Rose alone. "Why are you being like this after our row earlier?" I asked, confused. When I argued with most people, they stayed mad at me for quite a while.

"It was only that, a row. It's not the first and I doubt it will be the last. We're both stubborn. Now, just sit and rest. We'll come get you when we're done. Please just sit." He urged as he helped me into a chair. I felt my energy draining so I gave in and nodded.

"Fine. But if you're not back in here in 20 minutes, I'm coming to find you." I gave him a steady look, telling him that I wasn't joking.

"Alright. We'll be back soon." He quickly left the room, closing the door gently behind him. I heard muffled voices from another room. Rose seemed worried at first before the Doctor reassured her. This headache was worse than most. I rarely felt so weak or tired. As the medicine kicked in, my eyes began to droop and darkness consumed me.


	11. The Unquiet Dead - Part 3

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Sorry if this isn't the best. I've been a bit ill lately. Please let me know what you think in a review. The opinions help me continue writing. I hope you enjoy. :-)

* * *

_Previously: "Alright. We'll be back soon." He quickly left the room, closing the door gently behind him. I heard muffled voices from another room. Rose seemed worried at first before the Doctor reassured her. This headache was worse than most. I rarely felt so weak or tired. As the medicine kicked in, my eyes began to droop and darkness consumed me._

* * *

_There was nothing but darkness. Then came the flash of a match striking something. A sudden explosion engulfed me. Though fire surrounded me, I felt nothing. There was a scream._

I sat up straight, looking around me. I was still in the sitting room of the funeral home. My headache was gone, thankfully. I stretched before I heard a thump in the next room. I quickly stood and ran into the room. They were all sitting around a table and Gwyneth was slumped over on the table.

"Gwyneth?" Rose asked as she went over to her, I joined her.

"What happened?" I questioned, checking to see if Gwyneth was alright. She was still breathing lightly. It was as if she had simply passed out.

"All true." Charles said incredulously. I turned to him. "It's all true." He looked terrified. I turned back to the task of checking on Gwyneth. I looked at Rose for answers.

"Blue alien ghost things that want to use the dead bodies as their own." She almost growled the last part out, glaring at the doctor. Mister Sneed and Charles helped Rose bring Gwyneth into the sitting room. I stopped the Doctor.

"What is going on? I fall asleep for one minute and suddenly. . . this." I gestured with my hands, not knowing how to articulate what was going on around me.

"There are aliens, the Gelth, the don't have physical form anymore. Something happened. They want to use the bodies of the dead so that they can live again. Gwyneth collapsed after they left back into the pipes. Rose is angry because I want to give the Gelth the bodies." He explained, walking into the sitting room. I sighed and followed him. Gwyneth was laying on a chaise lounge. I poured a cup of tea as Rose tended to her. As I walked over, Gwyneth awoke.

"It's alright. You just sleep." Rose comforted her, trying to keep her sitting.

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?" Gwyneth sat up in the lounge. Rose frowned.

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance of survival." The Doctor explained. Rose snapped her head to him with a glare on her face.

"I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." She yelled at him.

"Rose." I chastised softly. I tried to grab her shoulder but she backed away from me. I sighed and turned to Gwyneth. "Here, drink this." I offered her the cup which she accepted and started drinking.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" Sneed asked the Doctor. I took the cup from Gwyneth when she was done and went to get her more tea.

"Aliens." The Doctor replied simply.

"Like foreigners, you mean?" Sneed questioned, not understanding the Doctors true meaning.

"Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there." The Doctor pointed toward the ceiling, meaning to be gesturing to space. The others didn't seem to get it.

"Brecon?" Sneed asked.

"Close. And they've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes." The Doctor explained.

"Which is why they need the girl." Charles suggested.

"They're not having her." Rose snapped. I looked at Gwyneth sympathetically. She looked down at her hands for a minute.

"Rose." I said quietly, drawing her attention to me.

"What? You don't even know what's going on. You weren't there." She hissed at me.

"But she can help. Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through." The Doctor explained to Rose, not hearing our whispered argument.

"Incredible. Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers." Charles was in awe.

"Good system. It might work." The Doctor agreed.

"You can't let them run around inside of dead people." Rose cried indignantly. I decided to stay out of the argument because, she was right, I hadn't been there so I didn't truly know all of what was going on.

"Why not? It's like recycling." The Doctor questioned.

"Seriously though, you can't." Rose put her foot down, looking furious.

"Seriously though, I can." The Doctor quipped.

"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them even in death." She tried, though her reasoning was only partially sound.

"Do you carry a donor card? What about you Phoenix?" He asked us.

"I do." I nodded.

"That's different. That's-" Rose tried to refute him.

"It is different, yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it or go home." I didn't say anything but I narrowed my eyes at him. He huffed, but continued. "You heard what they said, time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying." That was the first time I noticed the hint of guilt in his voice. There was definitely something I had missed.

"I don't care. They're not using her." Rose yelled.

"Enough Rose!" I snapped at her. She looked shocked.

"What?" She snapped at me. I turned to Gwyneth.

"Thank you miss." She looked at me, to which I simply nodded. She turned to Rose. "Don't I get a say, miss?" She questioned.

"Look, you don't understand what's going on." Rose sighed. I frowned at her.

"You would say that, miss, because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid." Gwyneth said sadly.

"That's not fair." Rose pouted.

"It's true, though. Miss Phoenix is the only one here who wishes to truly let me make my own decision. Things might be very different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me. Doctor, what do I have to do?" She questioned. I didn't like how she had called these Gelth her 'angels'. The Doctor glanced at me. I remained neutral. I didn't know the whole story and Gwyneth was right, I wanted her to make her own decision.

"You don't have to do anything." He told her.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mam on a holy mission. So tell me." This made me even more uneasy.

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other." He explained before turning to Sneed. "Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" He questioned. I frowned.

"That would be the morgue." Sneed replied.

"No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?" The Doctor tried to joke. I groaned.

"It's always the morgue. Why would it be any place other than the morgue? That would be nice and happy and not scary as hell." My attitude came back full force. We made our way down some stairs and into the morgue. It was freezing and there were several bodies under white sheets. "If I didn't like this before, I really don't like this now." I muttered to myself.

"Ugh. Talk about bleak house." The Doctor replied from in front of me. There was a strong urge welling up within me to run from the house and keep running until I couldn't run anymore. It took a tremendous amount of effort to stay.

"The thing is. Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed, 'cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869." Rose tried to explain to the Doctor. I couldn't contribute because unless it was a specific major event, like the assassination of President Kennedy, it wasn't in my knowledge.

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that." He snapped his fingers for example. "Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing."

"Such a lovely way to set the mood." I frowned.

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder." Charles spoke as I shivered.

"Here they come." Rose said uneasily. A humanoid form of gas came from the lamp by the door and moved to stand under the archway in the center of the room.

"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him." They called out.

"Promise you won't hurt her." Rose called at them.

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." They cried.

"Promise that you will not hurt the girl." I called at them, uneasy that they hadn't responded to Rose's request. They ignored me as well as the Doctor began to speak.

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?" He asked.

"My angels. I can help them live." Gwyneth smiled.

"Please be careful." I urged her.

"Where is the weak point?" The Doctor questioned.

"Here, beneath the arch." The Gelth said.

"Beneath the arch." Gwyneth repeated as she moved to stand below the arch, standing within the form of the Gelth.

"You don't have to do this." Rose called to her.

"My angels." Gwyneth sighed.

"Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!" They cried.

"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!" She called to them.

"Bridgehead establishing." They replied. I frowned.

"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Gwyneth reached her arms out in welcome.

"It is begun. The bridge is made." Gwyneth opened her mouth as blue gas came flooding out.

"This isn't right." I muttered. No one looked to me. All our eyes were fixated on Gwyneth and the Gelth coming through.

"She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." The Gelth called out. The blue form that Gwyneth had been standing in, turned red and grew sharp teeth. The voice became darker, angrier, more dangerous sounding. "The Gelth will come through in force." It roared.

"You said that you were few in number." Charles cried out in surprise.

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." The voice replied. The bodies under the sheets began to get up.

"Gwyneth, stop this. Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you." Sneed begged Gwyneth. He was too close to the bodies for my comfort.

"Mister Sneed, Get back!" Rose yelled at him, but she was too late. One of the corpses grabbed Sneed and snapped his neck. A blue gas went into his mouth, reanimating him.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." The Doctor suggested. I turned a glare on him.

"You think?! Next time I get a really bad feeling, lets try listening to me." I snapped at him. Sneed's body moved closer to us and we began to back up.

"I have joined the legions of the Gelth. Come, march with us." A voice spoke through him.

"No." Charles moved closer to the door.

"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead." They called out.

"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back now!" The Doctor called to her.

"Gwyneth they lied to you. Please send them back." I begged her.

"Four more bodies. Convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth." Sneed's body began to advance again. Rose, the Doctor, and I backed up against a metal gate.

"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so-" He never finished his sentence. He simply ran out of the room. We quickly ducked behind the gate and closed it, keeping the bodies from reaching us. My chest tightened with panic. There was no way out of the small area we were in.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth." The voices cried at us.

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" The Doctor yelled at them. His earlier guilt had vanished. It was quickly replaced with betrayal. My fear of the Gelth mixed with anger. I grabbed a metal poker off the wall next to me and thrust it between the bars, trying to keep the bodies back.

"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh." They replied darkly.

"Not while I'm alive." The Doctor glared at the bodies.

"Then live no more." They continued advancing. I kept thrashing at them, keeping them from reaching in at us.

"But I can't die. Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die. Isn't it?" Rose cried out.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said sadly, turning from her to me. "I'm sorry."

"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" Rose continued to question.

"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You two can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here." A new guilt filled him. I gave his arm a squeeze.

"It's not your fault. We wanted to come." Rose reassured him.

"Don't worry. You gave us fair warning before we joined you." I added, agreeing with Rose.

"What about me? I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon in Cardiff." He pouted. I groaned, happy that he wasn't sounding as guilty but now annoyed at him thinking he had done too much to die.

"Whining is not going to help us get out of here." I huffed.

"It's not just dying though. We'll become one of them." Rose frowned.

"Less thinking about death. More thinking about getting out. Hell I'll even settle for going down fighting." I swatted the poker at the bodies again, but they grabbed it and took it away from me.

"Sounds good." The Doctor smiled. I moved back a bit.

"Together?" Rose asked.

"All together." He replied, grabbing each of our hands. "I'm so glad I met you two."

"Me too." Rose smiled.

"Likewise." I grinned as well. Charles burst into the room with a handkerchief covering his mouth and nose.

"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!" He cried out as he messed with one of the lamps.

"What're you doing?" The Doctor questioned him.

"Turn it all on. Flood the place!" He coughed into his handkerchief.

"Brilliant. Gas." The Doctor beamed.

"What, so we choke to death instead?" Rose asked nervously. I looked at the bodies. They were beginning to notice Charles.

"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous." Charles asked, messing with another lamp.

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" The Doctor exclaimed as the corpses began moving away from us and toward Charles.

"I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately." Charles noticed the corpses. I hoped he was correct as well. I turned around and saw a pipe on the wall that I couldn't reach. I pointed to it, covering my nose and mouth from the gas filling the room. The Doctor nodded and pulled the pipe.

"Plenty more!" He called out. The Gelth began to leave the bodies which crumpled to the ground.

"Brilliant man!" I beamed at Charles. Once the bodies crumpled, we were able to leave the little alcove that we had been cornered in.

"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels." The Doctor moved to Gwyneth.

"Liars?" She asked sadly.

"I'm so sorry Gwyneth. They lied to you. They lied to everyone." I assured her.

"Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!" He continued on.

"I can't breathe." Rose coughed.

"Charles, Rose, get out of here." I yelled at them.

"I'm not leaving you or her." She cried at me.

"They're too strong." Gwyneth almost sobbed.

"Remember that world you saw? Rose's and Phoenix's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift." The Doctor pleaded with her.

"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." She said sadly, taking a box of matches from a pocket within her apron. I frowned, recalling my dream.

"You can't!" Rose cried.

"Please, Gwyneth there has to be another way." I pleaded. Deep down, I knew there wasn't. Something about that strange dream had given me the feeling of finality. There were no other options. I felt tears fall from my face.

"Leave this place!" She yelled at us.

"Rose, Phoenix, get out. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!" The Doctor yelled at us. I turned to Rose and Charles, addressing the latter.

"Get her out and don't let her come back in." I begged him. He nodded and pulled her out of the room. I went back to the Doctor.

"I told you to leave." He frowned at me.

"I can't. She needs comfort." I said as tears fell from my eyes. He must have seen the determination in my eyes and turned back to Gwyneth.

"Come on, leave, give that to me." The Doctor tried to get Gwyneth to give him the matches. She didn't move though. I walked over to her with him. He felt her neck for a pulse. "I'm sorry." He said sadly and kissed her forehead. I moved in front of her.

"You are one of the bravest women I've ever known. I will not forget you. Thank you." I said as I gave her a hug. Her body was freezing. She pulled a match from the box. The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the building. Just as we got outside, the building exploded into flames. The Doctor caught me as I stumbled. Rose ran up and hugged me.

"She didn't make it." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry. She closed the rift." The Doctor replied.

"At such a cost. The poor child." Charles spoke softly.

"We did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." The Doctor tried to explain to Rose.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"She was freezing cold. She wasn't there anymore." I whispered.

"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch." The Doctor agreed with me. He gave my shoulder a squeeze. I dried my eyes and collected myself. Rose finally let go of me.

"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?" Rose questioned sadly. Truth be told, I don't think the Doctor even knew how.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Charles offered, noticing the lack of an answer from the Doctor.

"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know." Rose said sadly.

"We will. We will never forget her. We will keep her memory alive." I suggested. She nodded sadly at me. We walked for a little bit back to where the Tardis was.

"Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." The Doctor nudged Rose and I toward the Tardis.

"What are you going to do now?" Rose questioned Charles.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London, quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital." He beamed.

"Sounds like a lovely idea." I grinned at him.

"You've cheered up." The Doctor chuckled.

"Exceedingly! This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world. Now I know I've just started. All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them." Charles seemed giddy at the thought of having new ideas to write about.

"Do you think that's wise?" Rose questioned him, voicing her worry. I thought nothing of it. A writer was known to dabble in the imagination. Shakespeare was one to write on such things as ghosts and his work was even older than Charles'. As long as people were entertained, they didn't pay much mind to the folly of it. Besides, Charles had already written about ghosts.

"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this Earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word, tell the truth." Charles said excitedly. We all smiled at him. Though I could remember that this specific novel was never finished. I couldn't recall why, so I tried to mask my frown.

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic." The Doctor rambled.

"It was lovely meeting you." I smiled at Charles. He gave me a smile and nod.

"Bye then, and thanks." Rose shook Charles' hand before kissing his cheek. I giggled at his surprise.

"Oh, my dear. How modern. Thank you, but, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?" Charles questioned. We moved closer to the Tardis.

"You'll see. In the shed." He walked up to the door.

"Upon my soul, Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this. Who are you?" Charles asked.

"Just a friend passing through." The Doctor shrugged.

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?" He seemed so worried. I smiled at him.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor beamed.

"For how long?"

"Forever." I gave Charles a kiss on the cheek as well before returning to the Doctors side.

"Right. Shed. Come on, Rose, Phoenix." He guided us inside.

"In the box? The three of you?" Charles looked surprised. I smiled and gave him a wink.

"Down boy. See you." The Doctor said before coming inside and closing the door. He walked up to the console with Rose and I following.

"Doesn't that change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" Rose questioned.

"Doctor, I'm confused. I don't recall the ending of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is unfinished isn't it?" I asked as well.

"In a weeks time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies. Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story." The Doctor explained softly.

"Oh, no. He was so nice." Rose frowned.

"But in your time, he was already dead. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." He smiled. I nodded as I helped him pull levers and push buttons. When we were in flight, I looked to Rose who still looked a little down.

"At least he's happy. He was so down when we met him. We gave his last year a little bit of excitement." I tried to comfort her. She smiled at me.

"Yeah I guess we did." She smiled. "Alright. I want to get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow we could pop back home for a minute, get some clothes or something." She suggested. I gave her a nod and turned to the Doctor. He was watching us carefully.

"Don't worry, you're not getting rid of us that easily." I teased. He simply laughed and nodded. I turned back to Rose. "Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." We gave each other a quick hug before she walked off to her room. I started walking away as well when the Doctor stopped me.

"Phoenix." He called out softly. I stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't save Gwyneth." He said sadly. I walked over to him.

"It's not your fault Doctor. The Gelth lied. They had everyone fooled." I patted his arm.

"Everyone except you." He looked me in the eyes. I shrugged.

"Not necessarily. I just felt like something was off. I pitied them the same as everyone else for a bit." He didn't look convinced. "Look, if you want to make it up to me, next time I say I have a bad feeling, look into it a bit more. But don't for one minute think that Gwyneth was your fault. As soon as she believed they were her angels, her mind was made up. I saw it in her eyes."

"Thank you." He said softly.

"Welcome. Now, I'm going to get changed out of this dress and get some sleep. I have to mentally prepare myself for Jackie's lecture as to why I got drunk enough to be hungover." I curtsied and walked out of the room.

I walked into my room and saw my purse sitting on my bed instead of in the wardrobe. I had completely forgotten about it.

"Thank you dear." I smiled as I walked over to a dresser and found some clean sleep clothes. A simple black tank top and black and red plaid pants.

_~You're welcome. I have to ask though, why did you not tell the Doctor about your dream?~_ She questioned as I changed.

"I'm not sure. I didn't know what to say about it. I didn't think anything of it until I realized that it had come true. I guess I feel guilty that I didn't say something before." I sighed and put my things from the black bag into my purse again.

_~My dear, it wasn't your fault. It wouldn't have changed things. You yourself said the girl had made up her mind. Besides, you did not know what it was about.~_ She tried to encourage me.

"I guess." I shrugged, crawling under the covers.

_~Next time, please tell him though. It may help.~ _I nodded. _~Would you like me to wake you when Rose is up?~_

"Yes please." She hummed in agreement and I slowly drifted to sleep.


	12. Aliens of London - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. The outfit for this is on polyvore (aliens_london/set?id=152579720). I hope you enjoy. Thank you to everyone who reviews. Thank you Lady Artimes Blaine for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying. As always, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

I woke up to the gentle humming in my head. I thanked the Tardis and went to find some clothes. I threw on a pair of light wash ripped up jeans, a pink tank top with black flowers and a black band under the bust, and a black blazer. I threw my black converse back on and cleaned up. I left my hair down once again. I stretched once more and made my way to the console room. I met up with Rose outside our rooms.

"You're up without me jumping on your bed." She teased as we walked.

"Scary isn't it." I laughed. She looked at me suspiciously. I huffed. "Ok, I had the Tardis wake me up."

"I knew you wouldn't get up on your own." She giggled.

"Oh hush. You're no fun." I pouted as we came into the room. She continued to laugh at me, with me making faces at her.

"You two look better." The Doctor teased as we walked up. I gave a turned one of my faces on him. He chuckled and shook his head.

"So, can we go home for a little bit? You know, to get some things like clothes." Rose asked cautiously.

"Of course. Hold on." He ran around the console putting it in flight. I quickly grabbed onto the nearest support beam and held on for dear life. Finally the Tardis settled as she materialized. When I was sure that we weren't moving anymore, I let go of the support beam. Both Rose and the Doctor had stayed upright this time.

"How long have we been gone?" Rose questioned before heading toward the doors.

"About twelve hours." The Doctor replied smugly.

"_About_ twelve hours? Are you sure?" I asked nervously. He was off by 9 years last time, I hoped he hadn't been off by that much this time.

"Don't worry." He reassured me. I watched him carefully.

"Oh. Right, we shouldn't be long. I just want to see mum." Rose explained.

"Yeah. Might be good to tell her we're going traveling for a bit. Just in case." I offered.

"What're you going to tell her?" The Doctor asked us.

"I don't know. We've been to the year 5 billion and only been gone, what, twelve hours? No, we'll just tell her we spent the night at Shareen's." Rose said. I gave her a frown.

"And then I get a lecture because someone told her I was sleeping off a hangover." I huffed. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You were talking and I didn't know what to say about you not coming to the phone." She tried to apologize.

"It's fine. I just hate her lectures." I pouted, following her to the door. We stopped once it opened and faced the Doctor.

"Oh, don't you disappear." Rose pointed at him.

"We're coming back." I added. He held up his hands in surrender. "You better be here." We continued to walk out of the Tardis and toward the stairs to the flat. "So, story is we went out, had a bit to drink after worrying about the job situation, then crashed at Shareen's for the night?" I questioned as we walked.

"Yeah. You've stayed over there before so it'll be believable." She agreed. I nodded and we went up the stairs and walked into the flat. It looked a bit different but I didn't pay attention. "We're back!" She called out. "We were with Shareen. She was all upset again and we needed a distraction. Are you in?" Jackie came around the corner looking shocked. Her face paled a bit.

"Mum, are you alright?" I asked nervously. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"What? What's that face for? It's not the first time we've stayed out all night. Especially Nix." Rose added, noticing Jackie's face. She dropped her mug of tea and stared at us.

"Mum?" My worry was increasing.

"It's you." Jackie breathed out.

"Oh, my God. It's you. My girls. Oh my God." She ran up to us and pulled us into a bone crushing hug. I looked at the coffee table and noticed missing posters for both Rose and I. I looked at Rose who had spotted them as well. Suddenly the Doctor ran into the flat.

"It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year. Sorry." He said out of breath. I glared at him as Jackie let us go to call the police.

"I asked you about the landing, specifically asked you about the time, but you ignored me and said not to worry. Well, you're taking the shit storm that's coming from this." I growled at him. He shrank back a bit, looking a bit shocked by my anger. He stayed quiet as Jackie berated us with questions until the police showed up. We stuck with a story of traveling.

"The hours I've sat here, days and weeks and months, all on my own. I thought you two were dead, and where were you? Traveling. What the hell does that mean, traveling. That's no sort of answer." I stared at my hands, avoiding Jackie's glare. This was much worse than the lecture expected. I would have given anything for just another drinking lecture. Jackie had suffered. She was still suffering. It killed me to see the pain in her eyes. She finally turned to the police officer that was watching us carefully. "You ask them. They won't tell me. That's all they say. Traveling."

"That's what we were doing." Rose tried to explain.

"When your passport's still in the drawer? Last I knew, Nix didn't even have one. It's just one lie after another." Jackie fumed. I wanted to offer some kind of comfort but I knew that anything I had to say would just anger her, or worse, hurt her, so I decided to stay quiet.

"I meant to phone. I really did. I just forgot." Rose continued. I wanted to kick her and tell her to shut up. She wasn't making things easier.

"What, for a year? You forgot for a whole year? And what about you Nix? You just forget as well?" I bit my lip and continued to look at my hands. "And I am left sitting here. I just don't believe you. Why won't you just tell me where you've been?" She sounded close to tears.

"Actually, it's my fault. I sort of er, employed Rose and Nix as my companions." The Doctor tried to offer some kind of explanation. I frowned. That wasn't really a good idea.

"When you say companions, do you mean some kind of sexual relationship?" The policeman asked. All three of us turned to him.

"No." We said at the same time.

"Then what is it?" Jackie started in on the doctor. "Because you, you waltz in here all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, they vanish off the face of the Earth! How old are you then? Forty? Forty five? What, did you find them on the Internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?" She demanded. _~Please don't say something stupid.~_ I begged in my mind.

"I am a Doctor." I groaned quietly as he said this. Jackie looked furious.

"Prove it. Stitch this, mate!" She hauled off and smacked him. There was a bright welt on his face. After a bit, the police officer left. Jackie had stalked off to the kitchen. Rose had quickly followed. I eventually joined them.

" Did you think about me at all?" She asked sadly.

"Of course we did mum. I promise." I tried to offer.

"We did. All the time, but-" Rose didn't know how to finish.

"One phone call. Just to know that you were alive." The guilt filled me.

"We're so sorry mum." I felt close to tears.

"We really are." Rose agreed. Jackie looked at us sadly. To keep myself from crying, I ran off to get some air. I made my way up to the roof of the building. Rose and the Doctor soon joined me.

"You alright?" Rose asked me. I shrugged.

"Fine." I continued staring off at the view of the city. She sat to the right of me, the Doctor on my left. Instead of continuing her questioning, she decided to strike up a conversation with the Doctor.

"I can't bring myself to tell her. I can't even begin. She's never going to forgive me." She pouted, talking about Jackie.

"And we missed a year." I sent a glare at the Doctor. He frowned.

"I said I was sorry." He tried.

"Not me you should apologize to. Jackie is the one really hurt by it. Personally, I don't mind. I just feel bad that she is so hurt and was worried for so long." I explained. Rose piped up, trying to stop the argument before it started.

"Was it a good year?" She asked him.

"Middling." He shrugged.

"You are useless." I huffed. The anger was fading. I knew he didn't intend to bring us back a year later instead of a couple hours. It wasn't necessarily his fault.

"Well, if it's this much trouble, are you two going to stay here now?" He asked, quieter than normal. I looked at Rose. If it wasn't such a sobering idea, I would have laughed at the look she gave me. She already knew my decision, but her own wasn't made yet.

"I told you you're not getting rid of me that easily." I replied. He looked a little surprised.

"Even though you're angry with me?" He asked cautiously.

"I'm not really angry with you. Frustrated? A bit. Angry? Not so much." I shrugged. He nodded and looked over at Rose.

"What about you?" He asked.

"I don't know. I can't do that to her again, though." She said slowly, still thinking.

"Well, she's not coming with us." He said flatly.

"No chance." Rose agreed.

"I don't do families." He offered.

"What about Rose and I?" I asked, knowing full well the difference.

"You're not really sisters. Even if you were, you don't argue like sisters really." He explained.

"Just teasing. Besides, Jackie and you would clash violently." I laughed. He chuckled as well.

"Yeah. She slapped you!" Rose cried.

"Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother." He pouted, rubbing his cheek. Rose started giggling, but I was suddenly distracted. _~900 years?~_ I thought with confusion.

"Your face." Rose laughed.

"It hurt!" He whined. I looked at him strangely. "What?"

"When you say nine hundred years?" I had to ask.

"That's my age." He said confidently, no sign of joking or lying.

"Really? Are you kidding?" It shouldn't be so hard to believe. I guess I just wasn't really expecting him to be that old since he looked so young.

"You're nine hundred years old?" Rose asked, seeing as he wasn't answering my questions.

"Yeah." He replied. I shrugged and looked back at the city.

"Mum was right. That is one hell of an age gap." Rose chuckled. "Every conversation with you just goes mental."

"That is an understatement." I muttered. Rose got up and began to walk around a little bit.

"And there's no one else I can talk to except Nix. We've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and we can't say a word to anyone. Aliens and spaceships and things, and Nix and I are the only people on the planet Earth who knows they exist."

"Come on now. No need to go all dark side about it. We've been able to see things that people only dream about. Besides, you've got me to talk to if you ever need to." I tried to comfort her. She nodded and turned to face the city. I sighed and laid back on the part of the roof that I had been sitting on. I looked up at the clouds and patches of blue sky. There was a deep horn behind me. I rolled my head back a little and saw a space ship of some kind fly over. I froze, too afraid to sit up as it flew over, black smoke trailing behind it. After it passed, I jumped up and walked over to the edge of the roof where Rose was. I glanced at the Doctor who just shrugged. We watched as it dodged the bridge and some buildings before diving down and crashing through the Clock Tower and landing in the Thames. Black smoke began to rise up from where it crashed.

"Oh, that's just not fair." Rose commented.

"Are we going to look at it or just stand here?" I asked, glancing at the Doctor. He smiled and we made our way down and toward town. We didn't get very far before we ran into a blockade. There were military personnel guarding the blockade. There were people trying to get through, to get home or get somewhere else.

"Get back. Get back." One of the soldiers called out at the people.

"It's blocked off." The Doctor said excitedly.  
"Thank you Captain Obvious." I chuckled. He looked at me with a smirk.

"You're welcome Lieutenant Sarcasm." He teased back, making me laugh. Rose giggled and shook her head at us.

"We're miles from the center. The city must be grid locked. The whole of London must be closing down." She added, trying to look past the blockade.

"I know. I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic!" The Doctor beamed beside us. It was entertaining watching him get so excited over things like this. Most are afraid, whereas he just got excited. His mood was more than contagious.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" Rose questioned as we walked around a little bit, trying to get a better view.

"Nope." He smiled.

"Do you recognize the ship at all?" I added, trying not to giggle at his excitement.

"Nope." His smile grew.

"Do you know why it crashed?" Rose continued.

"Nope." I thought his face would break.

"Do you know anything about this at all?" I teased.

"Nope." I snorted out a laugh. They both looked at me.

"What? Come on. It's funny hearing you say you have no idea what's going on." I teased. He scrunched his nose at me in teasing.

"Oh, I'm so glad we've got you." Rose giggled.

"I bet you are. This is what I travel for, girls. To see history happening right in front of us." He beamed.

"Well, let's go and see it. Never mind the traffic. We've got the Tardis." She smiled.

"Is that a good idea?" I asked.

"We better not. They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London. I don't want to shove another one on top." He agreed with me.

"Yeah, but yours looks like a big blue box. No one's going to notice." She suggested.

"I notice it. Even before we knew what it was." I shrugged when Rose gave me a questioning glance. "I'm hyper observant." I tried to explain.

"Exactly. You'd be surprised at who notices things. Emergency like this, there'll be all kinds of people watching. Trust me. The Tardis should stay where she is." He agreed. Thankfully he listened to reason for once.

"So history's happening and we're stuck here." Rose frowned slightly.

"Yes, we are." He nodded.

"We could always do what everyone else is doing right now. We could watch it on TV." I suggested, not sure of what else to do.

"Might as well." Rose agreed. We made our way back to the flat. People had filled the flat. It took a tremendous amount of effort to keep from running outside and hiding somewhere. Luckily most people ignored me. The Doctor sat in a chair closest to the TV. He flicked through channels while Rose sat in another chair. I had helped Jackie set up some chairs for the others. She came into the room with two mugs of tea for Rose and her friend Ru. I tried to stay off to the side in the back of the room.

"You've broken your mother's heart." Ru lectured Rose. She turned an eye on me, to which I shrank back a little bit. I didn't want to get any more lectures. Jackie handed Ru and Rose their mugs.

"I'm not going to make him welcome." She pointed to the Doctor who was ignoring everyone, still flipping through channels. I sighed and walked out of the room to make him a mug of tea. Jackie came in and joined me for a minute. "Are you alright dear?" She asked me, sounding much less angry than before.

"I just don't like being around so many people. I'm going to get some air." She nodded. I gave the Doctor a mug before walking outside the flat. I could still hear people talking and the TV going. I leaned on the railing and calmed my breathing. I had a hard time dealing with large groups of family and friends. Something about the large gathering makes me a bit anxious. I've always had trouble with them. Most of the time I would stay for a bit before running off to sit on the roof by myself. I was about to make my way to the roof once again when the door opened. The Doctor came outside. He smiled when he saw me.

"So this is where you took off to." He chuckled.

"Yeah. Crowds aren't my thing." I shrugged. Rose quickly came outside.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked him. He spun around to face her.

"Nowhere. It's just a bit human in there for me. Even Phoenix is a bit overwhelmed by all this. History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price. I'm off on a wander, that's all." He tried to explain. Rose wasn't buying it and neither was I. We hadn't known him that long, but we knew well enough when he wasn't being completely honest.

"Right." I scoffed. He gave me a questioning glance before Rose began to speak again.

"There's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just wandering." She laughed as well.

"Nothing to do with me. It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, color of smoke, everything. It's perfect." He smiled.

"How, in your mind, is a genuine crash landing perfect?" I asked.

"Well, maybe this is it. First contact. The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering because you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay. Now you can expand." He looked at us carefully. "You don't need me. Go and celebrate history. Spend some time with your mum."

"Promise you won't go and take off on us?" I asked, slightly worried at the thought of him running off on us. I had grown quite fond of his presence, even though we fought like cats and dogs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two keys on chains.

"Tell you what. Tardis keys. It's about time you two had one. See you later." He smiled and walked off. I frowned as he left, but put the chain around my neck with my other necklace.

"Don't worry Nix. He's not going to leave us. Come back inside. They're a bit worried about you taking off like you did." She put her arm around my shoulder.

"They know I don't do well with large groups." I sighed as we walked back inside.

"I know, but they're still a bit tense about the whole 12 month thing." I nodded and walked back to my spot near the door to the kitchen. I kept myself a bit away from the others.

"Here's to the Martians!" Jackie called out raising her mug.

"The Martians!" The others agreed. Well, everyone except Rose and I. She looked almost as uncomfortable as I was. The door opened and Mickey came in. Rose noticed him and instantly looked guilty.


	13. Aliens of London - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you, again, Lady Artimes Blaine for the review. I'll try to keep updating when possible. :-) Enjoy.

* * *

_Previously: "The Martians!" The others agreed. Well, everyone except Rose and I. She looked almost as uncomfortable as I was. The door opened and Mickey came in. Rose noticed him and instantly looked guilty._

* * *

"I was going to come and see you." She tried to apologize though I realized she hadn't thought about it. I felt bad for him.

"Someone owes Mickey an apology." Ru piped up.

"I'm sorry." Rose said sadly.

"Not you." Ru added, turning to Jackie who looked guilty now. I was confused.

"Well, it's not my fault. Be fair. What was I supposed to think?" She asked. It started making sense. I moved into the kitchen. Rose, Jackie, and Mickey soon followed. I wanted to leave but Jackie was by the door keeping me in with them.

"You disappear, who do they turn to? Your boyfriend. Five times I was taken in for questioning. Five times. No evidence. Course, there couldn't be, could there? And then I get her," He lectured Rose, pointing to Jackie. "your mother, whispering around the estate, pointing the finger. Stuff through my letterbox, and all 'cos of you two taking off." He was upset. He had every right to be. Everyone thought something bad had happened to us and since he was dating Rose, they assumed he had something to do with it. Poor Mickey.

"I didn't think we'd be gone for so long." Rose tried to calm his rising distress and anger.

"And I waited for you, Rose. Twelve months, waiting for you, Phoenix, and the Doctor to come back." He fumed.

"Hold on. You knew about the Doctor? Why didn't you tell me?" Jackie looked surprised as she asked him this.

"Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose, Phoenix? How could I tell her where you two had gone?" He asked us, turning his anger on me.

"Tell me now." Jackie begged of all of us. I rubbed my neck and popped it. The unease was suffocating. I couldn't think of what to say to that. I gave Mickey and Rose pleading eyes.

"Might as well, 'cos you two are stuck here. The Doctor is gone. Just now. That box thing just faded away." He said with a smug smile. I frowned and my stomach dropped.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him quickly.

"He's left you two. Some boyfriend he turned out to be." He growled at Rose. I gave her a wide eyed look before we both bolted out of the room and out of the flat. Mickey and Jackie quickly followed us. I ran to where the Tardis was last parked. My heart sank, realizing that Mickey wasn't lying. He was gone.

"He wouldn't just go, he promised." Rose said nervously.

"Oh he's dumped you, Rose. Sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh? Now you are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it." Mickey spat at her.

"He would have said something to us if he was leaving for good." I tried to reassure Rose and myself. Mickey glared at me.

"What are you three chimps going on about? What's going on? What's this Doctor done now?" Jackie questioned. She was looking between the three of us, searching for some kind of answer in our seemingly random rambling.

"Ho, ho, ho. He's vamoosed." Mickey gloated. I frowned at him.

"You need to watch that tone. I understand you're upset. You have every right to be. We didn't mean to be gone so long. Really we didn't know. But you are walking on thin ice right now. I am too stressed to be nice." I fumed at him. He and Jackie looked a bit surprised at my tone. "He hasn't left for good because he gave us these." I held up my key.

"And he's not my boyfriend, Mickey. If anything he'd be Nix's. They already fight like an old married couple." She teased me, trying to ease the tension.

"Not my boyfriend." I huffed.

"Whatever. Either way, he's better than that. He's much more important than-" She couldn't finish what she was saying. She noticed our keys were glowing. The sound of the Tardis filled the air and we could see it materializing in front of us.

"I said so!" She said excitedly. I looked at Jackie.

"Mum, why don't you go inside for a bit." I suggested nervously. Rose realized what was happening.

"Mum, don't stand there, just go inside. Just, mum, go." The Tardis fully materialized in front of us. "Oh blimey." She huffed.

"Huh?" Mickey asked as he looked around quickly.

"How'd you do that, then?" Jackie pipped up. I frowned and rubbed my forehead.

"This isn't good." I grumbled as I walked into the Tardis with Rose. The Doctor came around from the other side of the console. She walked up to him. I stayed back a bit. Jackie and Mickey came inside.

"Alright. So, I lied. I went and had a look. But the whole crash landing's a fake. I thought so. Just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben. Come on, so I thought let's go and have a look." He was excited. Somehow he hadn't noticed the extra two members with us.

"Doctor." I said carefully.

"What?" He questioned, still not looking at me.

"Notice anything different here?" I asked. He looked at us and back at the console.

"No. Did you change clothes?" He asked, still messing with something. I let out a deep sigh. I gave Rose an annoyed look. She nodded.

"Mum's here." She said. He froze and turned around, finally noticing Jackie and Mickey standing near us.

"Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic." He lectured.

"That's what you have to say?" I growled. He shrugged.

"You ruined my life, Doctor. Everyone thought they were dead. I was a murder suspect because of you." Mickey snapped at the Doctor. The Doctor looked to Rose and I.

"You see what I mean? Domestic." He huffed.

"I bet you don't even remember my name." Mickey retaliated.

"Ricky." The Doctor said simply.

"It's Mickey." Mickey frowned.

"No, it's Ricky."

"I think I know my own name."

"You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?" I finally got fed up with the Doctor.

"Rude! Again! I let it slide at first because, well, Mickey pissed me off. Now it's just getting to be a bit too much. Feel like dialing the sass back a bit?" I snapped. No one answered me. Jackie ran out of the Tardis with Rose following her.

"Mum, don't! Don't go anywhere." She called after Jackie. She stopped before going outside, turning to the three of us. "Don't start a fight!" She warned us before she walked outside. I decided against following. My yelling had probably been the last straw for Jackie. I was having a staring contest with the Doctor. He knew I wanted him to apologize but he didn't seem to want to. I huffed.

"Both of you apologize!" I snapped.

"Why? What for?" They both asked me.

"Mickey, you've been nothing but rude tonight. Hurting doesn't mean you can hurt others. And Doctor, you did ruin his life for 12 months by ignoring my questions about if we had landed in the right time." I growled, giving them both dark glares.

"Sorry." They both muttered.

"Better?" I asked. They just nodded. Rose came back inside and I sat on the jump seat. She walked over to me. "Is she alright?" I asked.

"I don't really know. She went back to the flat." She shrugged before looking to the Doctor. "So, that was a real spaceship?" She asked.

"Yep." He nodded.

"But the crash was fake? What's going on? Is it an invasion or not?" I questioned, finding it all very strange.

"Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert." Mickey voiced my thoughts. I nodded at him in agreement. He finally gave me a small smile.

"Good point! So, what're they up to?" The Doctor asked before opening a grating in the floor and climbing down. I watched him as he got down and started messing with some wires. I sat on the floor and just observed. Mickey eventually walked over.

"So, what're you doing down there?" He asked the Doctor.

"Ricky-" The Doctor started.

"Mickey." Mickey corrected him angrily.

"Ricky. If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?" The Doctor asked him, pausing for a minute. He ignored my narrowed eyes.

"I suppose not." Mickey conceded.

"Well, shut it then." The Doctor snapped and went back to working. Mickey huffed and went to go talk with Rose. I ignored them.

"Why are you always so rude to him?" I asked him, feeling exhausted. He continued working while he talked to me.

"I don't have the energy to explain every little thing to him." He huffed, messing with another wire. He had his sonic in his mouth.

"I don't get it though. You explain things to Rose and I? Why are we different?" He had started using his sonic on the wires.

"You pick up on things easier. It's almost like you already know it but just need a refresher. And Rose picks up on things rather quickly. Most aren't like that. If I tried to explain to every person the things I explain to you two, I would have to repeat myself over and over." He huffed and continued working. I continued to watch him. I faintly heard Mickey asking Rose if she was going to stay before the Doctor jumped up from the floor. "Got it! Ha, ha! Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of that spaceship. Here we go. Hold on. Come on." He hit the monitor trying to get it working.

"Hitting it won't help." I sang as I walked over to where the Doctor and Rose were standing.

"How do you know?" The Doctor huffed.

"Because hitting something doesn't actually make it work. Has hitting her ever worked?" I asked. He didn't answer but I felt the Tardis laughing in my head. "Thought so." He frowned and went back to the monitor. He pointed to the screen.

"That's the spaceship on its way to Earth, see? Except. Hold on." The monitor changed to show a new direction. "See? The spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed." He beamed excitedly.

"What does that mean?" Rose questioned, looking at the screen. I stared at it again.

"It came from Earth didn't it?" I asked as the trajectory looped again.

"Exactly. It came from Earth in the first place. It went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived, they've been here for a while." He wasn't as excited before. "The question is, what have they been doing?" He started searching the news channels. I went back to sit on the jump seat.

"How many channels do you get?" Mickey asked as they looked at different news programs.

"All the basic packages." The Doctor replied not really paying him any attention.

"You get sports channels?" Mickey continued. Of course he'd want to know if the Tardis had sports channels.

"Yes, I get the football." The Doctor agreed before stopping on a news broadcast. "Hold on, I know that lot." He pointed at a group of people. I got up and walked back over.

"Who are they?" I questioned.

"UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Good people." He smiled.

"Alien specialists?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"How do you know them?" Rose asked as well.

"'Cos he's worked for them." Mickey explained. We all turned to him. "Oh yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the internet or in the history books, and there's his name, followed by a list of the dead." He was angry again.

"That's nice. Good boy, Ricky." The Doctor mocked him. Mickey simply frowned at this. I didn't have the desire to correct either of them. They could be rude to each other all they wanted. It wasn't my problem anymore. I tried to get them to stop and be civil. My job was done.

"If you know them, why don't you go and help?" Rose asked the Doctor who was still watching the TV closely.

"They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix." He gestured to himself. "I'm going undercover. And er, I'd better keep the Tardis out of sight. Ricky, you've got a car. You can do some driving." The Doctor suggested. I frowned at the thought of dealing with Mickey's driving again, even though last time it hadn't been him actually driving. Nonetheless, I still hated the way he drove.

"Where to?" Mickey asked, getting ready to leave.

"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship." The Doctor said with a smile. We all made our way out of the Tardis. There was a helicopter shining a spotlight on us. There were several soldiers and police officers awaiting us.

"Do not move! Step away from the box and raise your hands above your heads." One of the officers called out. Mickey darted off to the side. I wanted to glare at him but figured it would be best if there were as few people involved as possible. Jackie came around a corner running.

"Rose!" She yelled. One of the soldiers grabbed her and held her back. "Nix!"

"Raise your hands above your head. You are under arrest." The officer called out again. The Doctor and Rose raised their hands. I kept mine crossed over my chest. It was cold and I had taken my blazer off. It was draped over my arms. I figured the movement of me putting it on would unnerve the people so I simply stood still.

"Take me to your leader." The Doctor joked beside me.

"Oi. Don't encourage them space boy." I grumbled at him as the soldiers came near us, guiding us to the car. I was able to finally throw my blazer back on. He simply laughed at me as the three of us were loaded into the back of a car. I was stuck between the two.

"This is a bit posh. If I knew it was going to be like this, being arrested, I would have done it years ago." Rose giggled.

"This isn't like being arrested." I huffed.

"How do you know?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. The Doctor watched me carefully as well.

"Been there, done that. Before mum found me. Shoplifting food. Took off before they got me into the station. Back in Enfield. Since it was just shoplifting, they didn't really look for me. Made it to Cardiff a little later." I explained with a shrug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded, looking surprised that I was actually arrested and got away.

"Honestly I was worried that if you guys knew, you wouldn't want me around." I shrugged. Rose hugged me for a second before letting go. She didn't need to say anything. It was part of our unspoken bond.

"Phoenix is right. We're not being arrested, we're being escorted." The Doctor explained. I gave him a thankful look. He nodded.

"Where to?" Rose asked.

"Where'd you think? Downing Street." He smirked at us.

"You're kidding." She breathed, eyes wide.

"I'm not."

"10 Downing Street?" She continued.

"I think so." I chuckled.

"Oh, my God. We're going to 10 Downing Street? How come?" She asked excitedly. I continued laughing at her excitement.

"I hate to say it, but Mickey was right. Over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been, er, noticed." He explained.

"And now you're needed?" I asked.

"Like it said on the news. They're gathering experts in alien knowledge. And who's the biggest expert of the lot?" He smirked.

"Patrick Moore?" I asked with my own smirk.

"Apart from him." He huffed with his nose wrinkled up. I snorted out a laugh.

"Oh, you just love this." Rose teased.

"I'm telling you. Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Who's the Prime Minister now?" He asked us.

"How are we supposed to know? We were gone for a whole year." I rolled my eyes at him. He shook his head at me. When we pulled up to a building, there were people all over the front yard with cameras. The flashes were almost blinding. The Doctor seemed to love the attention. He waved at the cameras as he got out of the car. Rose and I got out on the other side.

"Oh, my god." She breathed, looking around at the building in front of us. I linked arms with her and we followed the Doctor inside. A large crowd had gathered around one of the rooms right off the entrance. I had let go of Rose's arm to keep myself against a wall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right, and can I remind you ID cards are to be worn at all times." A man said, walking toward the door near us. People began filing out. He walked over to the Doctor and handed him an ID card on a chain. The Doctor put it on.

"Here's your ID card. I'm sorry, your companions don't have clearance." The man tried.

"I don't go anywhere without them." The Doctor said simply, turning us to walk away.

"You're the code nine, not them. I'm sorry, Doctor. It is 'the Doctor', isn't it? They'll have to stay outside." The man was persistent.

"They're staying with me." The Doctor said firmly.

"Look, even I don't have clearance to go in there. I can't let them in and that's a fact." The man was frustrated. I nodded and turned to the Doctor.

"It's alright. You go. We'll be out here. Just don't do anything stupid." I poked his chest. A woman walked up to us. She looked distressed.

"Excuse me. Are you the Doctor?" She asked.

"Sure." He didn't quite pay attention. The other man turned to the woman.

"Not now. We're busy. Can't you go home?" He asked her. The Doctor and Rose were talking but I ignored them and focused on this woman. She looked outright terrified.

"I need a word in private." She tried.

"Eh. Don't get in any trouble." The Doctor nudged me. I laughed.

"You're one to say that. We'll be fine. You take care of you." He gave a weak smile and walked off. I turned to this woman and man. He had stopped talking to her and was turning to Rose and I.

"I'm going to have to leave you two with security." He started to guide us away but the woman stopped him.

"It's alright. I'll look after them. Let me be of some use." He gave in and let her stay with us. She put an arm around Rose. I walked on the other side of her. "Walk with me. Just keep walking. That's right. Don't look round. Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North." She flashed us a small laminated badge. She quickly put it away and walked into an empty area of the entrance hall. She stopped and looked at us. "This friend of yours, he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?"

"Why do you want to know?" Rose asked her. The woman, Harriet, started sobbing into her hands.

"Shh, it's alright. What's wrong?" I asked her. She continued to cry so I put my arms around her. She cried for a minute before gathering herself a bit. She signaled for us to follow her quietly. We walked around a couple halls before we found ourselves in the cabinet room. Harriet went to the closet and pulled out a rubbery skin suit.

"They turned the body into a suit. A disguise for the thing inside!" She started crying again. I rubbed her arms.

"It's alright. We believe you. Don't worry." I whispered to her.

"It's alien. They must have some serious technology behind this. If we could find it, we could use it." Rose started searching the room. I continued to comfort Harriet. Rose opened a door and a mans body fell out. I suppressed a scream.

"Oh, my God!" Rose cried.

"Is that the-" I started but was interrupted by the man from before coming into the room. He must have heard Rose and Harriet's screams.

"Harriet, for God's sake. This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander." He froze when he saw what we were looking at. "Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister!" Rose and Harriet began talking quietly.

"What's your name?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look.

"Ganesh. Why does it matter?" He asked. I went to answer but stopped, hearing something from outside the room.

"Oh! Has someone been naughty?" A woman asked as she came into the doorway. I stood in front of Rose and Harriet, uneasy with this new woman.

"That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away!" Ganesh tried to explain, not believing what he was seeing.

"And who told you that, hmm? Me." The woman smiled and reached up to her hairline. There was a zipper which she began to pull. A blue light emerged from the zipper and filled the room. A green creature with black eyes and long talon like fingers emerged from the body suit. We all froze. The creature came closer. I shoved Rose and Harriet further behind me and tried to pull Ganesh back but was too late. The creature grabbed him and held him up against the wall. Harriet screamed and I heard even more screams from down the halls.


	14. World War Three - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Like always, I hope you enjoy. :-)

* * *

_Previously: "And who told you that, hmm? Me." The woman smiled and reached up to her hairline. There was a zipper which she began to pull. A blue light emerged from the zipper and filled the room. A green creature with black eyes and long talon like fingers emerged from the body suit. We all froze. The creature came closer. I shoved Rose and Harriet further behind me and tried to pull Ganesh back but was too late. The creature grabbed him and held him up against the wall. Harriet screamed and I heard even more screams from down the halls._

* * *

Suddenly the creature in front of us was surrounded in a blinding light. It started convulsing, seeming to be electrocuted. She released Ganesh. His body crumpled to the ground. I couldn't see him breathing at all. Seeing our moment. Rose and I each grabbed one of Harriet's hands and pulled her with us and out of the room. We ran down a couple hallways before Harriet stopped.

"No, wait. They're still in there. The emergency protocols. We need them." She turned around and started running. I gave Rose a 'is she serious' glance before we quickly hurried after her. She screamed as the green creature came bursting through a set of oak doors.

"Yeah, not such a good idea. Come on!" I pulled both of them down another hallway. We continued to close the doors behind us but the creature kept breaking through them. Down one of the hallways we reached a door that we couldn't open. The creature was right behind us. I kicked the door but it did nothing. The elevator dinged. The creature stopped to look at who it was. I saw the Doctor smiling.

"Hello!" He smiled. We got another door opened and ran through it. I heard the elevator door close and the creature ran after us again. We tried the doors in the room we entered. There was no way out.

"Hide!" Rose called out. Harriet ran behind a screen. I pulled Rose down with me behind a drink cabinet. I heard the creature come into the room.

"Oh, such fun. Little human children, where are you? Sweet little humeykins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big, green lips." She called out. I saw her facing away and pointed to a large curtain. Rose nodded and we made a run for it. She hid behind one side, I was on the other side. I tried calming my breathing. I heard two more large sets of footsteps come into the room. "My brothers." The woman beamed.

"Happy hunting?" One asked.

"It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink." She giggled.

"Sweat and fear." The other added.

"I can smell an old girl. Stale bird and brittle bones." The first called out.

"There's two ripe youngsters. One is all hormones and adrenalin. The other is adrenalin and anger. Both fresh enough to bend before they snap." The woman giggled. She was close. I closed my eyes while holding my breath. Suddenly both curtains were pulled away. Rose screamed. I didn't have the air left in me.

"No! Take me first! Take me!" Harriet jumped out from behind her screen. Suddenly the Doctor ran into the room. He had a fire extinguisher. He sprayed the two new creatures with it.

"Out with me!" He called at us. Rose and I looked up and pulled the curtain down over the woman creature. We ran around her and joined Harriet behind the Doctor as he continued to spray the creatures. He looked over at Harriet. "Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." She said, not taking her eyes off the creatures.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled.

"Likewise." The extinguisher ran out and we ran out of the room. We ran down random corridors trying to get away. The sounds of the creatures following got closer and closer.

"We need to head to the Cabinet Room." He said as we rounded a corner.

"The Emergency Protocols are in there. They give instructions for aliens." Harriet piped up.

"Harriet Jones, I like you." He beamed at her. I smiled.

"And I like you too." We continued to run until we reached the Cabinet Room. The creatures were right behind us. The Doctor quickly grabbed a decanter from a table just inside the room and held the sonic up to it. The creatures stopped in front of him.

"One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof, we all go up. So back off." He growled at them. They took a step back. Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?" He asked them.

"The who?" I asked, hoping for some kind of clarification.

"They're aliens." Harriet breathed.

"Yes. I got that, thanks." He muttered.

"Who are you, if not human?" One of the Slitheen asked.

"Who's not human?" Harriet was freaking out a little.

"Him." I pointed at the Doctor.

"He's not human?" She asked with widened eyes.

"Can I have a bit of hush?" He asked.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"So, what's the plan?" He continued, only for Harriet to continue with her questions.

"But he's got a Northern accent."

"Lots of planets have a north." Rose added as a sad attempt at an explanation.

"I said hush. Come on." He turned back to the Slitheen. I gave Harriet a gentle squeeze on her arm. She was clutching a red box. I hadn't noticed her grab it before. "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?" He asked.

"Why would we invade this God-forsaken rock?" The other Slitheen asked.

"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?" The Doctor demanded of them.

"The Slitheen race?" The second asked.

"Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service." The first mock bowed.

"So, you're family." I tried to keep up but felt the anxiety rising.

"A family business." The one called Jocrassa explained.

"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a God-forsaken rock?" The Doctor used their words against them. They decided to do the same.

"Ah, excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?" The unnamed male asked.

"Is that what I said?" The Doctor asked.

"You're making it up." The male refuted.

"Ah, well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." He tried to pass the alcohol to Harried. She was still clutching the Red Box.

"You pass it to the left first." She said quietly.

"Sorry." He passed it to Rose.

"Thanks." She took the decanter.

"Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter." The unnamed male Slitheen said victoriously. I pulled Rose and Harriet behind me and behind the Doctor.

"Don't you think we should run?" Rose questioned the Doctor carefully. He ignored the question and started talking once again.

"Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man." He started rambling. I chuckled at the thought of a man being called Mr. Chicken. He continued. "1796, this was the Cabinet Room. If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of lesson." He smirked and opened a small panel on the wall, pressing a button. Metal shutters closed over the windows and in the doorway. It gave a sense of doom. "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in." He smirked like he had won.

"And how are we supposed to get out of here?" I asked him, annoyed. He raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"Ah." He said simply.

"You saw a button and just decided, 'hey lets press this' without even considering how we would get out?" I groaned. We retreated further into the room. I helped the Doctor move Ganesh's body into the small store room off to the side along with the body from the cupboard.

"What was his name?" The Doctor asked as we moved Ganesh's body.

"Who?" Harriet questioned, coming over to us.

"This one. The secretary or whatever he was called." The Doctor continued.

"I don't know. I talked to him. I brought him a cup of coffee. I never asked his name." She said sadly, walking over to the table to look through the papers.

"His name was Ganesh." I said softly.

"What?" Harriet asked, looking over at me as I stood in the store room doorway. I stared at the young mans body and frowned. If I had only acted a couple seconds sooner, I could have saved him.

"His name was Ganesh. I asked him when he came in here." I offered. "I could have saved him. Why didn't I act sooner?" I muttered to myself. The Doctor looked at me after crossing Ganesh's arms. He stood and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have saved him. You tried and you gave him a name." He reassured me as we moved away from the room, closing the door behind him. He started walking around to the windows, using his sonic on them. "So, what have we got? Any terminals, anything?" Rose walked around checking things. I sat at the table and took a swig of the alcohol. It was a very strong whiskey. It burned on the way down. Not my favorite drink but it helped keep me from losing it.

"No. This place is antique. What I don't get is, when they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a disguise?" Rose asked, still looking for anything out of the normal.

"He's too slim. They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans." The Doctor explained. I got up and helped look for something different. There was nothing in the room.

"But they're, like, 8 feet tall. How do they. . . you know?" I didn't want to articulate what we all knew I meant.

"That's the device around their necks. Compression field. Literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange." The Doctor replied, checking another window.

"Wish I had a compression field. I could fit a size smaller." Rose tried to make light of the situation. I couldn't really blame her trying.

"Excuse me, people are dead! This is not the time for making jokes." Harriet chastised her. Rose mumbled an apology.

"Sorry, Harriet. You kind of get used to situations like this when you're friends with him." I gestured to the Doctor.

"Well, that's a strange friendship." She muttered.

"That it is." I sighed.

"Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?" He asked her, moving to check a small fireplace behind her.

"Oh hardly." She replied.

"Rings a bell. Harriet Jones?" He continued to ramble.

"Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs." She frowned at the papers before putting them down with a huff.

"Hasn't it got, like defense codes and thinks? Couldn't we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?" Rose asked. I turned to her.

"Ooh. I kind of like that. A bit dangerous, but probably better than whatever they're planning." I smiled at her.

"You two are very violent young women." Looked shocked at our attitudes.

"Sometimes violence is the only thing that keeps you sane." I explained softly. I wasn't quite sure why I said it. It just came out. All the same, it felt right. Sometimes, getting angry, violent even, is the only way to keep yourself from breaking down and falling apart. I realized that they were all staring at me. I rubbed my neck nervously. "Anyway. We could do that, couldn't we? Launch something at them?" I asked, trying to break the uneasy silence. The Doctor gave me a strange unreadable look before going back to the fireplace.

"Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations." Harriet explained. The Doctor snapped his head toward us.

"Say that again." He said.

"What, about the codes?" Harriet asked.

"Anything. All of it." He said quickly.

"Well, the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a Special Resolution from the UN." She explained.

"Like that's ever stopped them." Rose scoffed.

"Exactly, given our past record. And I voted against that, thank you very much. The codes have been taken out of the government's hands and given to the UN. Is it important?" She questioned.

"Everything's important." The Doctor stared off at the wall, seemingly deep in thought.

"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted." She paused and gave a scrunched up face. "Listen to me. I'm saying Slitheen as if it's normal."

"You get used to it." I gave her arm a pat.

"What do they want, though?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Well, they're just one family, so it's not an invasion." He spoke as he began to pace slightly. "They don't want Slitheen World They're out to make money. That means they want to use something. Something here on Earth. Some kind of asset." He paused, thinking.

"Like what, gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet questioned.

"You're very good at this." The Doctor beamed at her. I was glad that he was getting along with someone other than Rose and I.

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"Harriet Jones. Why do I know that name?" He thought out loud again. There was a phone beeping. Rose felt her pockets.

"Oh, that's me." Rose explained.

"But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?" Harriet questioned.

"He messed with them a bit. Turned hers and mine into super phones." I explained, pointing to the Doctor. Harriet turned to him quickly.

"Then we can phone for help. You must have contacts." She tried excitedly.

"Dead downstairs, yeah." He frowned. Rose walked around the table and looked at her phone.

"It's Mickey." She said, still looking at the phone.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy." The Doctor huffed.

"Yeah, he's not so stupid after all." She held up the phone. He took it and I looked over his shoulder. There was a picture of a Slitheen. Rose took the phone back and quickly called Mickey. "Is she alright, though? Don't put her on, just tell me." She said quickly. The Doctor took the phone from her.

"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer." There was some noise from the other side. "Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, er, I need you." He pulled a face before giving Mickey some instructions on going to a website. After a minute, he plugged the phone into the conference phone speaker. "Say again."

"It's asking for the password." Mickey said.

"Buffalo. Two F's one L." He explained. I could hear Mickey typing on the computer.

"So, what's that website?" I heard Jackie ask.

"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years." Mickey explained to her. I could imagine him pointing to the screen and Jackie still looking at him confused. "They just kept us in the dark."

"Mickey you were born in the dark." The Doctor snipped at him.

"Oh, leave him alone." Rose pouted. She gave me a confused look. I just shrugged and shook my head. For the time being, I wasn't going to chastise him about being rude to Mickey.

"Thank you. Password again." Mickey said.

"Just repeat it every time." The Doctor explained. "Big Ben. Why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?" He started thinking out loud once again.

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them." Harriet suggested. He shook his head.

"That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash land in the middle of London." He explained.

"The Slitheen are hiding." Rose started.

"But then they put the entire planet on Red alert." I added.

"What would they do that for?" She finished.

"Oh, listen to them." Jackie huffed.

"At least I'm trying." Rose retorted. I wasn't about to get into this argument. I hated arguing with someone that I couldn't see. I prided myself in reading a persons body language and eyes to gauge what to say and when. Over the phone, it wasn't the same. It's why Jackie always called Rose. I used my phone as simply an emergency device other than when texting Rose.

"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind. Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my two daughters disappear off the face of the Earth." Jackie said darkly. Harriet came up and handed us each a glass with another kind of alcohol in it. Rose and the Doctor accepted theirs but set the glasses down.

"Thank you." I told her softly. She smiled at my acknowledgment.

"You're welcome." She went back and got her own drink before sitting down. I quickly took a large swig of the burning liquid. She gave me a questioning look but I just shook my head.

"I told you what happened." Rose tried.

"I'm talking to him. 'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me, just answer me this. Are my daughters safe?" I could hear the worry in her voice. The Doctor was frowning.

"Mum, we're fine." I tried to comfort her but she ignored me.

"Will they always be safe? Can you promise me that?" She asked. He looked at us both. I could see in his eyes that he couldn't promise that to her. The look he was giving us was almost a question of whether he should lie to her or not. I wanted to tell him that everything would be fine, that I didn't mind that he couldn't promise that I'd be safe. I could see that Rose felt the same. Still, neither of us knew what to say to him. "Well, what's the answer?" I could hear a beeping sound from their end of the phone line.

"We're in." Mickey's voice came through. I was thankful for the distraction.

"Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that." The Doctor instructed. A strange noise came over the phone.

"What is it?" Mickey asked.

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying." The Doctor snapped, focusing on the sound. The noise made my head hurt slightly.

"He'll have to answer me one day." I heard Jackie faintly.

"Hush!" Mickey snapped at her.

"It's some sort of message." The Doctor explained.

"Whats it say?" Rose questioned. I sat back down, rubbing one of my temples.

"Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating." He said softly. A sound of a bell came through the phone. "Hush!"

"That's not me. Go and see who it is." Mickey said, addressing the second part to Jackie.

"It's three o'clock in the morning." Jackie whined.

"Well, go and tell them that." He huffed. The Doctor ignored him.

"It's beaming out into space, who's it for?" He rambled. The sound of Jackie screaming and the door slamming came through the phone.

"It's him! It's the thing, it's the Slipeen!" She cried.

"They've found us." Mickey echoed.

"Mickey, I need that signal." The Doctor called to him

"Never mind the signal, get out! Mum, just get out! Get out!" Rose called.

"We can't. It's by the front door." Mickey replied. "Oh, my God, it's unmasking. It's going to kill us." He cried. My headache was growing. I wasn't going to take my medicine. I couldn't risk falling asleep.

"There's got to be some way of stopping them! You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!" Harriet yelled at the Doctor.

"I'm trying!" He quickly replied.

"I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back." Mickey yelled. "Just run."

"That's my mother!" Rose cried when we heard a loud bang.

"Calm down! We can't get anything accomplished by freaking out. And I can't handle any more yelling. It's making this headache worse." I snapped. Everyone stopped yelling.

"Better?" The Doctor asked me after I finished yelling. The quiet helped a bit.

"Much." I replied simply.

"Right. If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet. So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within traveling distance. What else do we know about them? Information." He turned to us.

"They're green." Rose suggested.

"Yep, narrows it down.

"Good sense of smell, they can smell hormones and adrenalin." I added.

"Narrows it down.

"The pig technology." Harried pipped up.

"Narrows it down"

"The spaceship in the Thames. It has a slipstream engine." I pointed out.

"Narrows it down."

"It's getting in!" Mickey cried.

"They hunt like it's a ritual." Rose continued.

"Narrows it down."

"Wait a minute." Harriet paused. "Did you notice? When they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word, it's something else. What is it? It's more like, er-" She couldn't seem to come up with an idea.

"Bad breath!" Rose exclaimed.

"That's it!" Harriet agreed.

"Calcium decay! Now, that narrows it down!" The Doctor agreed.

"We're getting there, mum!" Rose cried.

"Too late!" Mickey yelled.

"Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of calcium. What else? What else?" He rambled excitedly.

"Hyphenated surname?" I asked.

"Yes! That narrows id down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!" He was thrilled.

"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter." Mickey called.

"Get into the kitchen!" The doctor ordered. We heard them running then barricading themselves inside.

"My God, it's going to rip us apart!" Jackie cried.

"Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid. Vinegar!" The Doctor explained.

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet added. I gave a questioning glance but she didn't say anything.

"Just like Hannibal. Mickey, have you got any vinegar?" The Doctor agreed before speaking to Mickey.

"How should I know?" He asked.

"It's your kitchen you idiot." I added.

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf." Rose added. I turned to her. She shrugged. "I help with the shopping." She explained. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, give it here." Jackie called. "What do you need?" She asked.

"Anything with vinegar!" The Doctor told her.

"Gherkins. Yeah, pickled onions. Pickled eggs." She started rambling off a list of overly disgusting things. The Doctor and I scrunched up our noses at the list, each one sounding worse than the last.

"And you kiss this man?" The Doctor asked Rose. She didn't answer. We heard the door open and the Slitheen hiss at them. Then there was a splash of what I assumed was the vinegar concoction Jackie had made hitting the Slitheen. There was a moment of silence before there was a rumbling sound and a splattering of the Slitheen exploding. We all breathed a sigh of relief. I finally looked at Harriet.

"Hannibal?" I asked her.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar." She explained. Rose and I nodded, though I still wasn't completely sure of what she was talking about.

"Oh. Well, there you go then." Rose held up her glass in a toast. We all joined her. They all took a sip. I simply finished mine off.


	15. World War Three - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Just a forewarning, it might be a bit before I post again. I've been feeling a bit sick so I haven't been able to write much lately. I just felt like updating the last chapter of this episode. So sorry if it's a little while before I update again. Like always, I hope you enjoy

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_Previously: "Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar." She explained. Rose and I nodded, though I still wasn't completely sure of what she was talking about._

_"Oh. Well, there you go then." Rose held up her glass in a toast. We all joined her. They all took a sip. I simply finished mine off._

* * *

"You alright?" Rose asked me, looking worried.

"Yeah. Besides being stuck in a room with no way out of it and a massive headache, I'm great." I groaned. She frowned. "Sorry. I don't mean to be so rude. It's this stupid headache. You know how I get when I get a bad one?" She nodded. "Well this is the worst yet."

"Even worse than in 1869?" She asked. The Doctor had told her about bringing me into the sitting room. I had later told her about falling asleep on the chair.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Why don't you take your medicine?" The Doctor asked me, having been listening to us talk.

"No chance I'm risking falling asleep with all this going on. If we survive this, then I'll take the stupid pills. I won't take them before." I explained. He was about to say something else when Mickey's voice interrupted him.

"Listen to this." He said. The sound of a newscast came over the line.

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction capable of being deployed within forty five seconds." One of the male Slitheen said.

"What?" The Doctor asked.

"Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long." The Slitheen continued. "We are facing extinction, unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survival. Because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war." This concluded the speech.

"He's making it up. There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it." The Doctor complained, starting to pace around the table.

"Does that really surprise you?" I asked.

"Do you think they'll believe him? Harriet added.

"They did last time." Rose admitted.

"That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out." The Doctor explained. Realization dawned on me.

"They release the defense codes." I frowned.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear." He agreed, making his way to the door.

"But why?" Harriet asked. He didn't answer. He simply kept walking. We followed quickly behind. He pressed the button in the small panel. The metal shutters opened. Three Slitheen stood there waiting.

"You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked." The Doctor said as the woman from before came forward smiling.

"And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away." She smirked.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?" Harriet demanded.

"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert." The Doctor explained for us.

"The sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chucks, capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel." She giggled. I frowned at her.

"At the cost of five billion lives." The Doctor growled at her.

"Bargain." She said simply.

"I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you." He said darkly.

"Why give her a choice? Do you really think she'll listen?" I said quietly from behind him. He didn't respond to me, and the woman didn't react as if she heard me at all.

"What, you? Trapped in your box?" She scoffed at him before starting to laugh.

"Yes. Me." He said simply before turning and pressing a button on the wall, closing the metal shutters. We walked back around the table. The Doctor went to lean against a window. I stood across the table from the Doctor, not watching anything in particular. Rose and Harriet continued walking around. Harriet was messing with the alcohol. Rose was pacing.

"Alright, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do." Jackie tried.

"If we could ferment the port, we could make acetic acid." Harriet tried, looking at the decanter in front of her.

"Mickey, any luck?" Rose asked, leaning on the table.

"There's loads of emergency numbers. They're all on voicemail." He huffed.

"Voicemail dooms us all." Harriet added with a frown.

"If we could just get out of here." Rose muttered.

"There's a way out." The Doctor said, not quite looking up.

"What?" I asked. "Say again?"

"There's always been a way out." He reiterated. I frowned at the look on his face. He looked torn. The happy cocky persona he usually had, was gone.

"Then why don't we use it?" Rose asked. She didn't seem to notice the change in him. He pushed himself off from the window and walked over to the table. He looked down at the phone, still hooked up to the conference phone speaker.

"Because I can't guarantee your daughters will be safe." He said darkly. Rose and I looked at each other. We both knew what we were going to do. We gave each other a nod.

"Don't you dare. Whatever it is, don't you dare." Jackie demanded.

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies." He said sadly.

"Do it." Rose and I said in unison. The Doctor's head snapped up at us. He looked confused.

"You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?" He asked.

"Yeah." Rose said simply.

"Doctor, there's one thing I've learned since I met you." I said simply. His eyes still held worry. "Peoples lives are always in some kind of danger. I don't worry about my own. I do worry about every other person on this planet. If you have a way of saving them, just do it." I finished.

"Please Doctor. Please. They're my daughters. They're just kids." Jackie cried. I could hear the pain and fear in her voice.

"Do you think I don't know that? Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." He said darkly.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked him. He looked from Rose to me.

"I could save the world but lose you two." He said sadly. I looked him in the eyes. He didn't want to make that decision.

"It's fine. We've made up our minds." I said, before looping my arm through Rose's. She nodded in agreement.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine." Harriet said, standing.

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie demanded.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And behalf of the people, I command you. Do it." She said sternly. The Doctor looked from her to us and smiled. It was a dark situation, but I couldn't help but smile as well. He opened the red box in front of him. Harriet joined him by his side while Rose and I sat on the table watching.

"How do we get out?" Rose asked as he flipped through papers.

"We don't. We stay here." He didn't look up as he found the paper he was looking for. He told Mickey to go to a website. "Use the buffalo password. It overrides everything."

"What're you doing?" Jackie demanded.

"Hacking into the Royal Navy." Mickey explained to her. "We're in. Here it is. HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth."

"Right, we need to select a missile." The Doctor told him.

"We can't go nuclear. We don't have the defense codes." Mickey explained.

"We don't need it. All we need's an ordinary missile. What's the first category?" The Doctor asked.

"Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A." Mickey replied.

"That's the one. Select."

"I could stop you." Jackie cried.

"Do it, then." Mickey told her.

"You ready for this?" The Doctor asked. There was a long pause.

"Yeah." Mickey said quietly.

"Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands." The Doctor said encouragingly. "Fire." There was a pause before we heard the click of the mouse. Harriet started pacing.

"How solid are these?" She asked as she felt the metal shutter covered window.

"Not solid enough. Built for short range attack, nothing this big." The Doctor admitted. Rose and I started looking around. She looked at the cabinet and then to me. I nodded.

"Worth a shot." I said softly.

"Alright, now I'm making the decision. I'm not going to die. We're going to ride this one out." She said going over to the door, I quickly followed. "It's like what they say about earthquakes. You can survive them by standing under a door frame. Now, this cupboard's small so it's strong. Come and help me. Come on." Harriet came over and helped Rose and I empty out the cupboard.

"It's on radar." Mickey called out. "Counter defense five five six."

"Stop them intercepting it." The Doctor told him.

"I'm doing it now." I could hear typing as I set a couple boxes on the floor outside the cupboard.

"Good boy." The Doctor praised him.

"Five five six neutralized." I put the last box on the floor. The Doctor pulled the phone off the cord connecting it to the speaker, before he joined us in the cupboard. He sat in between Rose and I with Harriet on my left.

"Here we go. Nice knowing you three. Hannibal!" Harriet said as she grabbed my hand. The Doctor took my other hand.

"Likewise." I agreed. We weren't waiting long before there was an explosion around us. The room was quickly tossed into the air. We were launched around the small cabinet. Finally we landed. The Doctor had fallen on top of me. He looked into my eyes before he quickly got up and helped me stand. He went to help Rose up as I offered a hand to Harriet. She nodded a thanks. I rubbed the back of my head as the Doctor began to open the Door.

"Everyone alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." We all agreed. He gave the door one final shove and it toppled over. We slowly emerged.

"Made in Britain." Harriet joked. We all laughed. A police officer in swat gear came running up to us.

"Oh, my God. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact the UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down. Go on, tell the news." She said, flashing him her badge. He looked at it then at her.

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded and ran off again.

"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out." She said gesturing to the rubble around us. "Oh, Lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister."

"Maybe you should have a go." The Doctor suggested.

"Me? Huh. I'm only a backbencher." She chuckled lightly.

"I'd vote for you." Rose said.

"Me too. You'd be great. You handle stress well." I patted her shoulder.

"Now, don't be silly. Look, I'd better go and see if I can help. Hang on!" She called out as she started making her way through the rubble. "We're safe! The Earth is safe!" We started making our way down the rubble hill as well.

"I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age." He beamed. She went over to talk to some reporters and we started walking away. We walked onto the estate. "Go check in with your mum. I'm going to move the Tardis." He offered. We simply nodded and walked back to the flat. Jackie came up and wrapped us both in a tight hug. It took her forever to let us go.

"What am I going to do with you two?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen. Rose and I sat down in the living room. Rose sat in a chair, I draped myself over the couch. Rose turned on the TV. Harriet was talking to reporters.

"Mankind stands tall, proud." She announced. Jackie came back into the living room.

"Harriet Jones. Who does she think she is? Look at her, taking all the credit. Should be you on there." She told us before talking to the TV "My daughters saved the world!" She huffed and sat in the chair between Rose and I.

"I think the Doctor helped a bit." Rose said.

"Alright then. Him too. You should be given knighthoods." Jackie said.

"That's not the way he does things. No fuss. He just moves on. He's not that bad if you gave him a chance." I tried.

"He's good in a crisis, I'll give him that." She admitted. Rose and I both sat up and stared at her.

"That's scary." I chuckled.

"Now the world _has_ changed. You're saying nice things about him." Rose added with a laugh of her own. We fell into fits of giggles at the thought of Jackie being nice to the Doctor.

"Well, I reckon I've got no choice. There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated." Jackie didn't look at either of us.

"I'm not infatuated." Rose said with a huff.

"Wasn't talking about you." They both turned and looked at me.

"Me? I'm not infatuated either." They both laughed at me. "Why does everyone seem to think that? Seriously?" I huffed.

"You two argue like an old married couple." Rose countered with a laugh. I huffed and laid back down on the couch.

"I simply correct his rudeness." I pouted, knowing nothing I said would change their opinions of what I felt. Mind you, I honestly couldn't exactly say what I felt. I wasn't quite sure how I felt. I worried about the Doctor, cared about him, but I didn't think I fancied him. We had just met.

"Well, what does he eat?" Jackie interrupted my thoughts. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"I was going to do shepherds pie. All of us. A proper sit down, 'cos I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you two and him and that life you lead. Only, I don't know, he's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things." Jackie explained. I snorted at her.

"He'll have shepherd pie. You're going to cook for him?" Rose questioned.

"What's wrong with that?" Jackie asked.

"He's finally met his match." She said. I snorted in laughter again. Jackie gave me a quick half hearted glare. I bit my lip trying to hold back my laugh. Rose started giggling at my attempts to stop laughing.

"You two aren't too old for a slap, you know. You can go and visit your gran tomorrow. You'd better learn some French. I told her you were in France. I said you were au-pairing." She said, walking off into the kitchen. We burst into giggles.

"Do you know any French?" I asked while giggling.

"None, you?" She giggled back.

"I know 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir'." I snorted. We were interrupted by my phone ringing. We were both confused since the only people who ever called me were Rose and Jackie. Mickey didn't even call me. I wasn't sure if he even had my number. Rose came over as I looked at the caller ID. TARDIS CALLING.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Right, I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go." The Doctor replied. I put the phone on speaker.

"Ok you're on speaker. Wait, you've got a phone?" I asked.

"You think I can travel through space and time and I haven't got a phone? Like I said, couple of hours. I've just got to send out this dispersal. There you go. That's canceling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up." He told us.

"Uhm, Mum is cooking." I told him.

"Good. Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer." He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Not like that you idiot. She's making tea. For us." I told him.

"I don't do that." He said nervously.

"She wants to get to know you." Rose tried.

"Tough. I've got better things to do." He said quickly.

"It's just tea." I tried.

"Not to me it isn't." He replied.

"She's our mother." Rose retorted.

"Well, she's not mine." He huffed.

"That's not fair." She pouted.

"Well you can stay there if you want," He paused. "but right now there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula. Fires burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the Tardis right into the heart of it then ride the shock waves all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice." He hung up after a pause. We looked at each other.

"What do you want to do?" Rose asked me.

"It's your choice. I made mine a long time ago." I explained.

"You're always going to run, aren't you?" She didn't sound upset. Instead she genuinely sounded curious. She had always known that sitting still didn't suit me very well. Hell, she met me because I ran, though I'm not sure what from. I had been planning on running again but I didn't think she had known about that. I stayed because I cared about her and Jackie and I wanted to make sure they were taken care of. There was just something inside me that was screaming for me to run. Being with the Doctor made that feeling go away. We were always running. We never stayed still. That was perfect for me. "Well, we should go pack." She smiled at me. I smiled back, glad that she was coming with. We went to our bedrooms to start getting ready. I quickly packed a bag. I didn't put a lot of clothes in it, since the Tardis seemed to have almost all of the clothes that I would want. When I finished packing I started walking out my door. I stopped when I saw Jackie standing in Rose's room.

"I was wondering whether he drinks or not." She asked Rose.

"Yeah, he does." Rose replied simply. I figured she was still packing.

"Don't go, sweetheart. Please don't go. I always knew Nix was going to leave, though I tried to prolong it as much as possible. You're both my daughters. I don't want to lose either of you." I finally walked out of my room, closing the door behind me. Jackie turned to see me.

"Oh, mum." I went over and hugged her. She set down the two mugs she had been holding and hugged me back. Rose joined us a moment later. We made our way out of the flat and down to where the Tardis was parked, the whole time Jackie tried to convince us to stay. We came closer to see Mickey sitting on a bin, talking to the Doctor.

"I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends. I'll pass my test, and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will." Jackie tried to beg us. We each put a hand on her arm.

"We're not leaving because of you." Rose started.

"We're just traveling, that's all." I added.

"Then we'll come right back." Rose finished.

"But it's not safe." Jackie cried.

"Mum, if you saw it out there you'd never stay home." I told her gently. She frowned sadly. We walked over to the Doctor.

"Got enough stuff?" He asked Rose. She put her large bag in his arms.

"Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with the both of us now." She started laughing before she walked over to Mickey. I tried to take Rose's bag from the Doctor but he wouldn't let me.

"Come with us. There's plenty of room." Rose asked Mickey. He looked uneasy.

"No chance. He's a liability, I'm not having him on board." The Doctor quickly answered. I looked at him then back to Mickey. Mickey looked almost relieved. He saw me looking at him and shook his head. I went back to looking at the Doctor.

"We'd be dead without him." Rose tried.

"My decision is final." The Doctor replied simply. Rose turned back to Mickey. I quickly walked over to Jackie.

"Try not to worry mum. I'll look after her. Promise." I gave her a hug. Instead of letting into me, she went to the Doctor.

"You still can't promise me. What if they get lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and they're left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away. How long do I wait then?" She demanded. Rose walked over to her and started trying to soothe her. I waved goodbye to Mickey and quickly followed the Doctor into the Tardis.

"You packed lighter." The Doctor said as he set Rose's bag on the floor. It hit with a thud. I looked down to my small duffel bag. It was nearly half the size of Rose's.

"Well, the Tardis has already given me clothes so I only packed stuff I really wanted. I don't really have much that I value. Nothing really except my locket." I pulled my long chain from beneath my shirt and ran the small locket between my fingers. I was still messing with it when Rose came in.

"Right then. Where to next?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Get some rest. We'll go somewhere when you two have gotten some sleep. We agreed. We said goodnight and we went to our rooms. I set my bag down on my desk.

"Is Rose asleep or distracted?" I asked the Tardis.

_~She is nearly asleep.~_ The Tardis explained. _~And yes the Doctor is still in the console room. Would you like me to let him know you are coming?~_ She asked.

"No, that's alright. Thank you though." She hummed in my head and I slowly opened my door. I quietly made my way to the console room. Sure enough the Doctor was at the console, looking at different things on the screen. He looked over when I came into the room.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just had a question about earlier. Didn't want to ask around Rose." I started he nodded. "What happened between you and Mickey?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He gave me a confused look.

"Before we came to the Tardis. You were talking to him. When you said he couldn't come with, he looked almost relieved." I was confused and curious.

"You're quite observant." He beamed.

"I try. I've always noticed the things that others try to hide. Call it a gift or talent." I chuckled softly. He quirked an eyebrow. "People feel the need to classify how I'm able to do it. Rose calls me the human lie detector." I chuckled softly.

"I can see why. As for your question, I asked him to come with. He was worried about yours and Rose's safety. I suggested that he come with. He said that he couldn't, that this life wasn't for him, but he didn't want Rose to know. He didn't ask that you didn't know, just Rose." He explained.

"He probably knew I would pester you until I found out." I smirked. "Well, I should get some sleep. I just wanted to know what was going on." I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm.

"Just a sec. How's your head?" He asked carefully. I thought for a minute. My head felt fine. I hadn't even noticed when it went away.

"Good. I didn't need the medicine after all. Maybe the tumble in the cabinet fixed it." I chuckled. He smiled.

"Alright. Just wanted to check." I gave him a nod.

"Thanks. Have a good night Doctor." I smiled at him.

"Goodnight Phoenix." I walked back to my room and put away the things in my bag. Once everything was put away, I changed into some sleep clothes and crawled into bed. The light turned off and the familiar galaxies swirled on the ceiling.


	16. Dalek - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Sorry it has been a while between updates. I was sick (I still don't feel the best) and I had to go out of town for my sister-in-law's wedding. I'll hopefully start writing more but I don't know how fast I will be. Please review and let me know what you like and what you don't like. I always love knowing how you feel. As always, I hope you enjoy.

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_Rose and I were running toward a large door that was slowly closing. It was going to trap us in and we weren't safe. Rose started lagging behind me. I grabbed her hand. If she didn't hurry up we would both be stuck. If I didn't get her out, something bad would happen. I tried to get her to go under the door but she wouldn't leave me. The door closed, trapping us both. Suddenly there was a blinding pain shooting through my body. _

I screamed myself awake. I looked around and saw that I was still in my room. A small headache was forming.

_~Are you alright?~_ The Tardis asked me gently.

"Just a bad dream. Is Rose up?" I asked as I got up and stretched. My muscles were a little sore, as if I had been running a marathon in my sleep.

_~No. You've only been asleep for about 4 hours.~ _I groaned and rubbed my eyes. _~Would you like me to get you something to help you sleep?~_

"Thank you, but I might as well get up." She hummed in agreement as I went to find some clothes before taking a shower.

I let the warm water relax the tense muscles in my body. The dream or nightmare, whichever it was, had begun to slowly fade from memory. As I washed my hair, I tried to remember anything I could. The only thing that came to mind was something about running. I shook my head as I rinsed my hair. Of course there was running. That was the primary thing that happened in bad dreams. Running from the big bad whatever. I finished the shower and dried off, putting my hair in a towel as I got dressed. Dark denim jeans, black tank top, red off the shoulder over shirt, converse, black purse, necklace, and wing earrings. Taking my hair out of the towel, I dried it and put the upper part in a pony tail to keep it out of my face. After putting on some simple black eyeliner, I decided to wander a bit. I started walking down the halls, not really looking for anything in particular. Eventually the hall ended with a large wooden door. There was a carving of a book on the door.

I slowly opened it to reveal a large library with an oversized fireplace on one wall. The book cases were floor to ceiling with a couple sliding ladders scattered around. I smiled and walked over to one wall. After browsing the titles for a while, I grabbed the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe. I took the book and made my way to the garden. I watered the small tree clipping and climbed into one of the chairs before starting to read. It wasn't my first time reading this book. In fact, it was my favorite book. I had a copy of it back home at Jackie's flat. I got so immersed in reading that I didn't hear someone knock on the open doorway.

"How did I know I would find you in here." I jumped slightly at the sound of the Doctor speaking. I almost dropped the book but caught it as I turned around to face him. He chuckled lightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Sure you didn't." I relaxed into the chair a bit. "What's up?"

"I asked the Tardis if you or Rose were up yet. She said Rose was still asleep but you were in here. Decided to come see how you were doing." He explained as he sat in the chair he had sat in before.

"I'm good. Decided to water the tree and read a little bit." I held up the book so he could see.

"Good choice." He nodded.

"It's one of my favorites. I've read everything in this at least twice. I've got a copy of it back at Jackie's." I added, setting the book next to me in the chair. I stared at him. He was watching me carefully. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?" He looked surprised. I gave him a pointed look. He sighed. "You're up awfully early. I asked the Tardis if you were alright when she said you were in here. She said you had a nightmare."

"Don't worry about that. I have them all the time. I don't even remember what they're about most of the time. The only way I know I have them is if I wake up freaking out or if Rose tells me that I was talking or crying in my sleep." I rambled, slightly wishing I hadn't said the last part. I didn't want anyone worrying about me. I assumed my room was rather sound proofed since Rose hadn't come to see me or woken up when I screamed myself awake. I was hoping to play it off as if I had stopped having my nightmares.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He didn't look convinced.

"I'm fine. Promise." I smiled and he nodded.

"There you two are." Rose said from the doorway. I turned to see her smiling.

"Morning sleepyhead." I teased her. She stuck her tongue out at me.

"I'm allowed to sleep longer than you every once in a while." She giggled. My stomach rumbled and she laughed harder. "Food?"

"Food." I got out of the chair and walked toward the door. I turned back to see the Doctor still sitting. "Want anything?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Fine. Be that way." I teased and walked off with Rose following me. We quickly found the kitchen and made a small breakfast. We ate in relative quiet. It wasn't normal and worried me slightly. "Spit it out."

"What?" She questioned as she continued to eat.

"You're quiet. You're never this quiet." I pointed out as I went to the sink to start washing my dishes.

"You're up early. Was it another nightmare?" She asked carefully as she came over to the sink with her dishes as well. I started washing hers.

"I don't know. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. I decided to go and read for a bit." I explained as I finished the dishes. Rose was watching me carefully when I turned around.

"Did I interrupt something earlier?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and huffed.

"No. He was just checking in since a traitorous omnipotent ship decided to tell him I had a bad dream." I huffed slightly. I wasn't really mad at the Tardis and she knew it. I felt her laughing. I shook my head. "Why do you keep thinking there's something going on?" I asked Rose as I sat down on a stool and stared at her.

"Well, you know. You two really do act like an old married couple at times." She shrugged with a smile.

"Do you have a thing for him?" I was curious.

"Me? Oh no. Not my type. Definitely your type. Besides, we promised to never go after each others guy." She smirked at me. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"He's not mine." I huffed.

"Keep telling yourself that. Some day you two might actually admit your feelings instead of this epic denial act you both have going." She laughed and started out of the room. I frowned and started following her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She never got the chance to answer me. A small alarm started going off. We both ran to the control room. The Doctor was running around the console. "What's going on?" I asked. He didn't answer as we landed. He looked at the monitor and we walked out of the Tardis. We were in the hallway of what looked like a museum. There were display cases with strange things in them.

"So what is it? What's wrong?" Rose asked as the Doctor began looking around.

"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course." He explained while looking at a case with a very strange looking stuffed creature inside. I kept my distance from the cases.

"Where and when are we?" I questioned, looking around.

"Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground. It's two thousand and twelve." He had moved on to another display case.

"God. That's so close. So I should be twenty six." Rose started. "And Nix you'd be-" She started but I quickly stopped her.

"Don't even." I gave her a quick glare. She held up her hands in surrender and I turned away.

"You'd be 30." She giggled. I glared at her again. The Doctor found a light switch and turned on the lights. The corridor illuminated. There were hundreds of display cases like the ones around us.

"Blimey. It's a great big museum." Rose breathed. We started walking down the corridor.

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby. They must have spent a fortune on this." The Doctor started pointing out things as we walked by them. "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust. That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship." I stopped to look at the milometer.

"That's a bit of Slitheen! That's a Slitheen's arm. It's been stuffed." Rose cried as she looked into one case that held a long green arm with three claws. I grimaced at it.

"Oh, look at you." The Doctor said softly. I turned to see what he was looking at. It was a robotic head of some sort. It looked like it had handles on each side of the head.

"What is it?" I asked as Rose and I walked over.

"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old." If he didn't look so deep in thought, I would have teased him about that comment. Instead, I stayed quiet and observed him.

"Is that where the signal's coming from?" Rose questioned. The Doctor didn't look at her. He continued to look at the robotic head in the display case in front of him.

"No. It's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out, calling for help." He reached up and touched the glass of the display case. An alarm started going off and a group of armed guards rushed in.

"You had to touch it! Hmm, an alien museum. Someone spent a lot of money. Lets touch one of the displays. They probably don't have a security system." I hissed at him under my breath. First it was a button on a door, now it was touching glass in a very expensive collection. The guards had us surrounded. There was no way back to the Tardis or away from them.

"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." Rose said quietly to the Doctor.

"Not the best thing in the world to say right now, Rose." I whispered at her. One of the guards instructed us to follow. We were led onto an elevator. Once on the floor they wanted, we were met by a woman named Diana Goddard. Her and a couple guards led us into an office. A man with a slightly receding hairline sat at a desk. A young man was showing him something.

"What does it do?" The man behind the desk asked as he took the item from the younger man.

"Well, you see the tubes on the side? It must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel." He said slightly nervously.

"I really wouldn't hold it like that." The Doctor tried to interrupt.

"Shut it." Goddard snapped at him. I watched everyone carefully.

"Really, though, that's wrong." The Doctor insisted.

"Is it dangerous?" The young man questioned, even more nervous than before.

"No, it just looks silly." He replied and leaned in to reach for the thing. The guards cocked their guns and aimed them. I held my breath. The man behind the desk raised his hand to hold them off before he stood and handed the Doctor the item. He seemed curious. The Doctor held the item in his hands and inspected it briefly. "You just need to be delicate." He slid his fingers along one side of it and it played a couple notes. He smiled at Rose and I after he played a couple more notes. I shook my head at him.

"It's a musical instrument." The man in charge said excitedly.

"And it's a long way from home." The Doctor replied.

"Here, let me." The man took the musical instrument back and tried to recreate the sound that the Doctor had. He moved his fingers along it harshly and a couple annoying sounds were produced.

"I did say delicate. It reacts to the smallest fingerprint. It needs precision." The man tried again, not being as aggressive with it. Finally a few nice notes were played. "Very good. Quite the expert." The Doctor smiled.

"As are you." The man smiled. Then he threw the instrument off to the side. It landed on the floor. The younger man looked after it worriedly. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?" He asked.

"Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake." The man scoffed.

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah." The Doctor smiled. I looked at him before rolling my eyes and shaking my head. It was a pretty good description of him though.

"The question is, how did you get in?" He walked around the desk and came to stand in front of the Doctor. "Fifty three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplices." He looked at us. I met his eyes with a glare. He turned back to the Doctor. "You're quite a collector yourself, they're rather pretty."

"Oi! Watch it." Rose warned him.

"You just might get a nice punch if you don't stop referring to them in the third person." I snapped at him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"They're English too! Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy. Got you a couple girlfriends. Might be careful with the dark haired one though." He smirked. I started clenching and un-clenching my fists. Rose grabbed one of my hands. I looked at her and she shook her head. I sighed and popped my neck.

"This is Mister Henry Van Statten." The younger man explained.

"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose asked.

"Mister Van Statten owns the internet." He replied.

"Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet." She scoffed.

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Mr. Van Statten smiled as he said this.

"So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor was no longer amused. He wasn't quite as angry as I was but he definitely wasn't as excited as he had been.

"And you claim greater knowledge?" Van Statten asked.

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am."

"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?" They were having a staring contest.

"You tell me." The Doctor quipped.

"The Cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?"

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You want to see it?" The back and forth was getting annoying.

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone." Rose groaned.

"You're telling me." I huffed.

"Goddard, inform the Cage we're heading down." He commanded the woman that was next to the Doctor. She nodded and walked off a bit. "You, English. Look after the girls. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do." He pointed to the younger man. He nodded. "And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet." He smirked as he walked away. The Doctor looked at us with a slightly worried expression.

"We'll be fine. Go on. Just be careful. Alright?" I said as I locked eyes with him. He was definitely worried for us. He nodded and walked off with the others. They left so that it was just the three of us left in the room. I turned to the young man. "So, what's your name?" I asked.

"Oh. Adam." He said as he walked around the table.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rose and this is Nix." Rose explained gesturing to me since I wasn't about to tell him my name. He gestured for us to follow him.

"Nix?" He asked.

"Short for Phoenix." I said simply. Rose elbowed me. I looked at her and mouthed 'what'. She gave me a frown. I held up my hands.

"Now you're being rude." She huffed at me quietly.

"Sorry." I muttered as we walked into a room with shelves and shelves of boxes and random items.

"Sorry about the mess. Mister Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing, so long as I deliver the goods." Adam explained as we entered the room. I walked around the edge and looked at various things. "What do you think that is?" I turned to see him handing rose a chunk of metal. I went back to looking at things on shelves.

"Er, a lump of metal?" She asked. I could hear her setting it down as well.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I think, well, I'm almost certain, it's from the hull of a spacecraft. The thing is, it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet, spacecraft, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist." Adam spoke excitedly. I gave up looking at things around the room and went back by the door to lean against its frame. Since neither had noticed me, I simply observed them for a bit.

"That's amazing." Rose said as she played with her hair.

"I know it sounds incredible, but I honestly believe the whole universe is just teeming with life." He continued.

"I'm gobsmacked, yeah. And you do what, sit here and catalog it?" She asked him.

"Best job in the world." He smiled and messed with some things on his desk.

"Imagine if you could get out there. Travel amongst the stars and see it for real." I tried not to roll my eyes and gag at their flirting. Leave it to Rose to flirt with the guy who was essentially our babysitter.

"Yeah, I'd give anything. I don't think it's ever going to happen. Not in our lifetimes." He shook his head.

"Oh, you never know. What about all those people who say they've been inside of spaceships and things and talked to aliens?" She tried. He sipped something from a coffee cup. He nodded at first before speaking.

"I think they're nutters." He chuckled. She turned back to him and smiled.

"Yeah, me too." She giggled.

"I don't know. I've met a couple people who will go to their deathbeds saying they met an alien and went into a spaceship." I shrugged. They finally seemed to notice me standing off to the side. I waved slightly. "Yep. Still here." Rose laughed at me.

"But I know for a fact that one of them is absolutely insane." She teased.

"Watch it. She's nowhere near as bad as the other." I pouted, causing her to laugh even harder. Adam simply watched our exchange with a confused look. "Anyway. How did you end up here, Adam." I asked him, not really wanting to explain our strange little conversation.

"Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit." He explained with a proud smile. I tried not to laugh at him.

"Oh, right. You're a genius." Rose seemed a little amused at this as well.

"Sorry, but yeah. I can't help it. I was born clever. When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defense System. Nearly caused World War Three." He looked very proud of himself. I simply frowned. I didn't understand how someone could be excited about almost causing such a horrible thing.

"What, and that's funny, is it?" Rose seemed a bit concerned at his attitude about this as well.

"Well, you should have been there just to see them running about. Fantastic!" I quirked an eyebrow as he said this. Rose looked from him to me, then back again.

"You sound like the Doctor." She smiled.

"Are you and him?" He asked her.

"No, we're just friends. He and Nix though." She started giggling at the glare I was giving her.

"Don't start that today." I huffed and crossed my arms. Rose looked back at Adam.

"But no. We're just good friends." She explained. He smiled.

"Good."

"Why is it good?"

"It just is." Their flirting was getting to be a bit much. I had to keep reminding myself to not be rude. I'm not sure why, but there was just something about him that put me off slightly. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that he was bad news but he hadn't really done anything to make me think that. I frowned and shook my head to clear my mind. They were still doing their sly looking away flirting.

"Anyways. Wouldn't you rather be downstairs?" I asked Adam. He looked at me strangely, as if just noticing that I was still in the room, again. "You've got all kinds of things in here, bits of metal and other things, but Van Statten has a living creature down there." I explained.

"Yeah. Yeah, well, I did ask, but he keeps it to himself." He explained. Then he looked at the computer. "Although, if you're a genius, it doesn't take long to patch through on the comm. system." He was smiling at Rose once again.

"Let's have a look, then." She smiled at him. He started typing on the computer. Rose stood next to him. From my spot against the wall, I could see the screen just fine.

"It doesn't do much, the alien. It's weird. It's kind of useless. It's just like this great big pepper pot." He explained as he pulled up a camera in a room. There was a man in an orange jumpsuit walking toward a large metal contraption. The man started doing something to it and the creature began to scream. I froze, just watching it. Once again I had the urge to run and not turn back.

"It's being tortured! Where's the Doctor?" Rose cried.

"I don't know." Adam said as he watched the screen.

"Take us down there now." Rose demanded. She walked past Adam and grabbed my arm, leading me out of the room. I hesitated and she turned to look at me. "What is it?" She asked.

"Something is wrong. Lots of things are wrong. The Doctor was going down there and now he's not there. If they're torturing that creature, what are they going to do to him." My breathing was coming in short gasps and my head started to throb. My heart was beginning to beat erratically. Rose sat me on the ground and started going through my purse.

"Got any water?" She asked Adam. He went back into his little room and came back with a water bottle. Rose found a pill bottle and opened it. I tried shaking my head no. "Just one, then. Two knocks you out. One will help with the anxiety." She handed me a pill and opened the water bottle for me. The look of worry in her eyes made my resolve crumble. I gave in and took the pill. After a couple minutes my heart rate started evening out. "Better?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah. Thanks." I took her hand and she helped me stand.

"What was that about? Are you alright?" Adam asked nervously. We spoke as Rose led us to a lift down the corridor form Adam's office.

"I have crippling migraines and a very annoying panic disorder." I huffed as we walked into the lift. Adam pressed a button and we started descending. I popped my neck, trying to ease the building tension in it. It didn't help.

"Basically, any time she gets overwhelmed she needs to take her medicine or she'll be unconscious in a couple minutes." Rose explained. I grimaced, thinking of a time almost a year prior. One of Jackie's boyfriends had gotten quite drunk. He was going on about how Rose and I were taking up too much of Jackie's time. He started calling her all kinds of hurtful things. Her crying was the last straw. I started having a panic attack. I punched the guy in his nose, breaking it. He ran off. A couple minutes later, I fainted. Luckily I was already sitting on the couch so I didn't get hurt. After that, Jackie insisted that I see a doctor. They prescribed a heavy sedative after several medicines failed to work. The lift stopped, thankfully drawing me from my thoughts. Adam took lead and led us to the Cage.

"Hold it right there." A man at a desk stood to stop us. Adam pulled out his ID.

"Level three access. Special clearance from Mister Van Statten." He said confidently. He showed the man in the orange jump suit his ID as well. They let us through. We walked into a concrete room. The creature was bound in chains. There was a blue eye like light at the end of a pipe. It also had what looked like a plunger and whisk for arms. I could feel my stomach tighten at the sight of it but I didn't know why. "Don't get too close." Adam warned us. Rose started walking forward. The large door closed behind us.

"Oh that's lovely. Hey, here's an idea, how about we don't close the large vault like door in an ominous fashion." I groaned as I turned from the door to Rose. She was getting closer to the creature. I walked over to her. "Rose, be careful." I grabbed her hand.

"It's fine." She stepped a little closer, pulling me with her. She looked at the creature. "Hello. Are you in pain? My name's Rose Tyler, this is my sister Phoenix. We've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?" It took a minute for the creature to respond.

"Yes." It spoke in a robotic monotone voice. Two little lights on the top of it lit up when it spoke. I tried to back up but Rose's grip was firm. She gave me a questioning look but didn't let go.

"What?" She asked as she looked back at the creature. It raised the eye stalk to look at her.

"I am in pain. They torture me, but still they fear me. Do you fear me?" It asked. I didn't answer, I just stared at it.

"No." Rose answered. It lowered its eye stalk once again.

"I am dying." If a monotone voice could sound sad, it would have. I frowned. I was afraid of it but that didn't mean I wanted to see it die. Still there was something inside of me screaming that I shouldn't help it.

"No, we can help." Rose tried to comfort the creature.

"Rose, be careful." I hissed at her.

"Why are you so worried. You were the one who embraced all the other aliens before." She gave me a disapproving glance.

"There's just something wrong." I didn't know quite how to express my feelings of discomfort. Rose knew about my gut instincts slightly, though she never really paid much attention to them even when they proved to be right several times. She shook her head and turned back to the creature.

"I welcome death. But I am glad that before I die I have met a human who was not afraid." The creature said after watching our small exchange. It didn't seem to take any notice of me or what I was saying.

"Is there anything I can do?" Rose asked it gently.

"My race is dead, and I shall die alone." It said. Rose raised her hand to touch it. I put my hand up to stop her. Instead, she made me touch the creature as well.

"Rose, no!" Adam cried. I pulled my hand back when a searing pain crossed my palm. Rose did the same. There were two glowing hand prints on the creature for a minute. They quickly faded.

"Genetic material extrapolated. Initiate cellular reconstruction!" The creature cried. I started backing away, pulling Rose with me. We went back to the doorway. The chains containing the creature started breaking and falling away. There were sparks from the wires that were connected to it. The door opened next to us and the man in the orange jumpsuit came running in with a drill.

"What the hell have you done?" He growled at us as he ran over to the creature. It raised the plunger looking appendage at the man. He chuckled slightly. "What are you going to do? Sucker me to death?" With that, the creature's plunger attached to the mans face and started a suction. We quickly ran out of the room. Rose ran over to one of the guards.

"It's killing him! Do something!" She cried.

"Condition red! Condition red!" He repeated into a microphone, sounding an alarm through the entire building. "This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"


	17. Dalek - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. A big thank you to KilalaInara and Lady Artemes Blaine for your reviews. It always helps to have some input, even if it's just a simple "I liked this chapter". Your reviews keep me writing. Like always please review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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_Previously: "It's killing him! Do something!" She cried._

_"Condition red! Condition red!" He repeated into a microphone, sounding an alarm through the entire building. "This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"_

* * *

We were waiting around for Van Statten and the Doctor to come over the comm system. Finally we saw them run into the room.

"You've got to keep it in that cell." I heard the Doctor yell as he came into the room. He looked outright terrified. It wasn't like him to be this worried. There was something very wrong with this creature and it worried him. My unease grew even more.

"Doctor, it's all my fault. Nix tried to warn me but I didn't listen." Rose explained. One day I was going to get someone to listen to me. Was it really that hard to listen to someones intuition about potentially dangerous situations?

"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations." A guard said as he walked over to where we were in front of the screen.

"A Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat." The Doctor explained nervously. We made our way over to face the door of the Cage. Two guards stood in front of me, Rose, and Adam. The keypad had numbers quickly flashing on it. The code finally flashed and the door slowly opened. I backed up slightly, pulling the other two with me.

"Open fire." The male guard said as the Dalek advanced from the room. The bullets didn't seem to do anything to it. I flinched at every gunshot.

"Don't shoot it!" Van Statten cried out. "I want it unharmed."

"Phoenix, Rose, get out of there!" The Doctor yelled at us. I couldn't see him but I could hear the worry and fear in his voice. My chest tightened in worry slightly.

"De Maggio, take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?" The male guard looked at the woman in front of us as they both reloaded their weapons. She nodded.

"You three, with me." She said before she started down a hallway behind us. We quickly followed her. We were running down one corridor when we saw a large group of guards with weapons heading toward us. "Civilians! Let them through!" The woman, De Maggio, called out. The group separated, giving us a path to run through. We continued running as the sound of gunshots and screams filled the air. I tried to block out the sound but nothing worked. Images of fires and the sounds of children screaming and crying flashed through my mind. I shook my head and continued running. We made it into a stairwell.

"Stairs! That's more like it. It hasn't got legs. It's stuck!" Rose said excitedly.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Besides, it's still got that laser." I huffed, trying to catch my breath.

"It's coming! Get up!" De Maggio instructed us. We all ran up half a floor. The other stopped to look at the Dalek that had come to a stop at the base of the stairs. It looked down at the stairs in front of it.

"Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs." Adam boasted at it.

"Oh yeah. Great idea. It just killed numerous people and you decide to taunt it. It's still armed you idiot." I snapped at him. He looked shocked that I would have the audacity to yell at him. I hit him on the back of his head before turning to look at the Dalek again.

"Now listen to me. I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate then I can guarantee that Mister Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong," De Maggio tried to negotiate with the Dalek. _~Maybe it was wrong to imprison you?! Do these people seriously think it's a good idea to say these things?~_ She continued talking. "but people have died, and that stops right now. The killing stops. Have you got that? I demand that you surrender. Is that clear?"

"Elevate." The Dalek spoke and started rising slowly.

"Oh my god!" Rose backed up slightly. I grabbed her hand quickly.

"Adam, get them out of here." De Maggio ordered. I looked at her. She was raising her gun at the Dalek.

"Come with us. You're not going to be able to stop it. You're going to get yourself killed." I yelled at her. She didn't look back at me.

"Someone's got to try and stop it. Now get out! Don't look back. Just run." She started firing at the Dalek. I pulled Rose and Adam along and they both finally started running. We went up some stairs and down another set of long corridors. We made it to a large room with boxes everywhere. There were soldiers in defensive positions all over. I froze when I saw their guns pointed at us.

"Hold your fire!" The commander ordered. You three, get the hell out of there!" He ordered us. We ran forward through the guards. I was about to run around a corner when I noticed that Adam and Rose had stopped.

"What the hell?" I questioned as I came back to them to see what they were doing. The Dalek rolled around from where we had come. Its eye stalk moved around until it was pointed at us. It paused for a moment before turning its body to face us. When it did, Adam and I each grabbed one of Rose's arms and pulled her around the corner.

"It was looking at us." Rose slowed down, letting go of my hand. I frowned at her.

"Yeah, it wants to slaughter us." Adam sounded exasperated. They had come to a complete stop.

"I know, but it was looking right at us." She tried. My patience was running out.

"So? It's just a sort of metal eye thing. It's looking all around." Adam tried to reason with her.

"I don't know. It's like there's something inside, looking at us, like, like it knows me." She tried to explain.

"We can deal with that later. How about we keep ourselves from getting killed right now? Sound like a good plan? Yeah? Lets go!" I grabbed her and and pulled her along. Adam followed, not saying anything. We ran down some more corridors and found a stairwell. We started running up the stairs. My phone started ringing. I pulled it out. "Not really the best time." I growled.

"Where are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Level forty nine." I said as we ran past a sign with the floor number on it. We continued running up the stairs. I could hear the Dalek coming up as well.

"You've got to keep moving. The vault's being sealed off up at level forty six." He explained quickly. I gestured for Rose and Adam to move quicker.

"Can't you stop them from closing?" I asked angrily.

"I'm the one who's closing them. I can't wait and I can't help you. So for God's sake, run." I huffed and pushed myself to move faster.

"We need to get through level 46. Hurry." I told the other two and we continued running. Adam was a decent pace ahead of us once we were on the correct level. "We're almost there. Give us two seconds." We continued running. My chest was burning from lack of oxygen. My dream came back in full force. I covered up the microphone on my phone. "Adam, make sure she gets out no matter what." I growled at him. He nodded and slowed down a bit to grab Rose's hand and pull her along with. The door started closing. Rose tried to wait for me but Adam listened and pulled her along with him. He pulled her down and they rolled under the door before it closed.

"Nix!" I heard Rose scream.

"Phoenix, where are you? Did you and Rose make it?" The Doctor asked through the phone. I took a deep breath as I leaned against the closed door.

"Sorry. I was a bit slow. I got Rose through, but I'm sealed in." I looked to see the Dalek rounding the corner. "See you then, Doctor. It wasn't your fault. Remember that, okay? It wasn't your fault. Take care of Rose for me. Keep her safe. And just know this. I wouldn't have missed any of this for the world." I moved the phone away from my ear and turned to face the advancing Dalek. It paused in front of me.

"Exterminate!" It called out, raising its laser toward me. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain. There was the sound of the laser but I didn't feel anything. I slowly opened my eyes and turned to look at the Dalek. It was watching me.

"Go on then, kill me." I yelled at it. It didn't move. "Why are you doing this?" I demanded.

"I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose." It answered.

"Well you've done it so far. All those people are dead because of you." I growled at it.

"They are dead because of us." It replied. I didn't understand at first. Then I realized that the only way it was able to escape was because it had absorbed some of mine and Rose's DNA.

"Well now what? What are you waiting for?" I could feel the tears forming in my eyes.

"I feel your fear."

"No shit. You have me cornered. What did you expect me to be feeling?"

"Daleks do not fear. Must not fear." It raised its laser once again. It shot on either side of the door. I closed my eyes but still nothing came. When I opened my eyes once again, it was staring at me. "You and the girl gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated." It cried out. "Step forward. We will address the Doctor." I stepped forward a little. It moved to my side, slightly behind me. It looked up at a camera on the wall. "Open the bulkhead or Phoenix Tyler dies." He cried out.

"You're alive!" I heard the Doctor.

"Nix! You're alright!" Rose added.

"Told you, you can't get rid of me that easily." I tried to laugh. Even I knew it sounded forced.

"I thought you were dead." The Doctor sounded relieved.

"Open the bulkhead!" The Dalek demanded.

"Don't do it!" I yelled.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" The Dalek asked. I tried not to react to that. The Dalek was wrong, but if I corrected it, well, I wasn't sure what would happen. If it did kill me, I didn't want Rose and the Doctor to see it.

"I killed her once. I can't do it again." I heard the Doctor say softly.

"Don't you dare you idiot." I tried, but he didn't listen to me. The bulkhead door opened. The Dalek stayed slightly behind me as we moved forward. We found the lift and the Dalek opened it. Once inside, it set the floor number. I calmed my breathing and tried to regain my composure. "Don't kill them. Please. You didn't kill me even though you had the chance." The head swiveled so the eye was looking at me. I backed up slightly so I wouldn't get hit by it.

"But why not? Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?" It cried out. We reached the top level. When the doors opened, we were in Van Statten's office. He was standing in front of the doors. Rose and the woman, Goddard, were standing off to the side.

"Don't do anything stupid. It's beginning to question itself." I ordered.

"Van Statten. You tortured me. Why?" The Dalek questioned, moving forward slightly.

"I wanted to help you. I just, I don't know. I was trying to help. I through if we could get through to you, if we could mend you. I wanted you better. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I swear, I just wanted you to talk!" Van Statten cried as he was backed against the wall by the advancing Dalek.

"Then hear me talk now. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" It cried. I ran over to it.

"Don't! Don't kill him! You don't have to do this anymore." I told it. It swiveled its eye to look at me. Rose had made her way closer.

"There must be something else, not just killing. What else is there? What do you want?" She asked it. My breathing hitched when it swiveled to look at her. Then it looked back at Van Statten.

"I want. . . Freedom." It answered. I let out a shaky breath as it backed up and started moving toward the door. Rose and I curiously followed it. We walked until we were in a large empty corridor. The Dalek lifted its laser and shot the roof. Rose and I ducked slightly as rubble fell. I shaft of sunlight came down landing on the Dalek.

"You're out. You made it." Rose told it.

"I never thought I'd feel the sunlight again." I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"How does it feel?" The Dalek asked.

"Warm." I said softly. The casing around its center began to shift and move, revealing a one eyed creature with tentacles. Rose and I moved to stand in front of it without blocking the sunlight. It lifted one of the tentacles to feel the sunlight.

"Get out of the way. Rose, Phoenix, get out of the way now!" The Doctor called from behind us. We turned around to see the Doctor with a large gun pointed at us.

"No. I won't let you do this." Rose said firmly. I decided to stick by her side.

"That thing killed hundreds of people." He yelled at us.

"It's not the one pointing a gun at us right now." I said softly. I could see the emotions behind his eyes. He was in so much pain.

"I've got to do this. I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left." He sounded like he was almost in tears.

"Look at it." Rose said. We stepped aside slightly to reveal the Dalek basking in the sunlight.

"What's it doing?" The Doctor asked.

"It's finally feeling the sunlight. That's all it wants." I tried to explain.

"But it can't."

"It couldn't kill Van Statten, it couldn't kill me." I pointed out. "It's changing. As much as it unnerves me, it is changing. What about you though, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?" He lowered his gun. I hit a struck a cord with that.

"I couldn't... I wasn't... Oh, Phoenix, Rose. They're all dead." I wanted to run over and hug him but I was too tired to move.

"Why do we survive?" The Dalek asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor admitted.

"I am the last of the Daleks." It stated.

"You're not even that. Rose and Phoenix did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed their DNA. You're mutating." He explained.

"Into what?"

"Something new. I'm sorry." The Doctor frowned.

"Isn't that better?" Rose asked.

"Not for a Dalek."

"I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness. Rose, give me orders. Order me to die." The Dalek demanded.

"I can't do that." She looked at it sadly. I could see the hints of tears starting to form in her eyes.

"This is not life. This is sickness. I shall not be like you. Phoenix. Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!" It cried. I paused and looked at it. I took a deep breath.

"Do it." I said softly.

"Are you frightened, Phoenix Tyler?" It asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded my head.

"So am I. Exterminate." It closed its eye. Rose grabbed my and and pulled me back to the Doctor. The Dalek closed its armor and began to rise into the air. The round balls that were on its lower casing came off and created a force field around the Dalek. There was a bright light as the Dalek imploded.

Silently we made our way back to Van Statten's office to get Rose's sweater and make sure everything was done. When we were ready, we made our way down to the floor where the Tardis was. Relief filled me when I saw her. We walked over and the Doctor ran his hands along her side gently.

"A little piece of home. Better than nothing." He still didn't sound quite back to his normal mood. I was worried.

"Is that the end of it, the Time War?" Rose questioned.

"I'm the only one left. I win. How about that?" I gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. He gave me a gentle smile. When I removed my hand, I started messing with my necklace. The locket felt extremely warm so I had to hold it away from my skin to try and cool it off.

"The Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did too." She tried.

"I'd know. In here." He tapped his temple. "Feels like there's no one." He said sadly. I let the locket go and it fell against my shirt.

"Well it's a good thing that we're not going anywhere." I teased as I stood beside Rose.

"Yeah." He smiled at us. Adam came running up to us.

"We'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared. They're closing down the base. Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement, like it never existed." He explained.

"Good." I smiled.

"About time." Rose added.

"I'll have to go back home." He sounded sad.

"Better hurry up then. Next flight to Heathrow leaves at fifteen hundred hours." The Doctor said, after looking at his watch.

"Adam was saying that all his life he wanted to see the stars." Rose said with her head tilted to the side. I groaned quietly.

"Tell him to go and stand outside, then." The Doctor replied curtly.

"He's all on his own, Doctor, and he did help." She tried. Adam was looking between the two with confusion written all over his face.

"He left Phoenix down there." He said darkly.

"So did you." She retorted.

"Technically I told you both to." I added. They both looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned against the Tardis. "Carry on."

"What're you talking about? We've got to leave." Adam said nervously, looking around as if he was going to see a giant tidal wave of cement come flooding through.

"Plus, he's a bit pretty." The Doctor teased.

"I hadn't noticed." Rose said with a slight blush.

"On your own head." He said before unlocking the Tardis.

"What're you doing? She said cement. She wasn't joking. We're going to get sealed in." Adam cried. I rolled my eyes and followed the Doctor into the Tardis. Rose followed me. I sat in the jump seat while the Doctor started messing with the controls. "Doctor? What are you doing standing inside a box? Rose? Phoenix?" He called out before coming inside. The doors closed behind him and we set off into the vortex.

Once we were in flight, the Doctor addressed Adam and Rose.

"His bedroom is down that hall." He pointed to a hall different than the one that held our rooms. I smiled at that slightly. "Go on and explore. I'll see you back here in the morning." They nodded and walked off while talking. He turned to face me when they were gone. His smile faded slightly.

"Oh no. Doctor Serious is here." He raised an eyebrow at me. "I had to lighten your mood somehow. Now, what's on your mind?" I questioned.

"I..." He paused, looking lost.

"Look, take your time figuring out what it is you want to say or ask. When you've got it figured out, I'll be where I always end up." I gave his arm a gentle pat as I walked past him and made my way to the garden. I watered my tree and climbed into one of the chairs. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the waterfall in the distance. I opened them when I heard someone come into the room. I looked over and watched as the Doctor came in and sat in his usual chair. Instead of saying anything, I stayed quiet and let him start in his own time.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently. I smiled.

"You always ask that. I'm good. I'm alive. Don't worry so much. You'll go gray." I teased. He finally smiled. "Much better." He chuckled.

"Look, I'm sorry about how I acted back there." He paused, as if thinking of just how to word the next part.

"Don't worry. I get it. You lost everything to the Daleks. I probably would have done the same in your situation. Hell, the first time I saw it I wanted to run from it." I offered. He looked curious so I decided to elaborate. "We saw a video feed of it. Something about it made me want to turn tail and run. Then when we went into the Cage, Rose wanted to comfort it. I kept trying to hold her back. There was no reason. It acted extremely helpless and sad but still I didn't trust it."

"You really do have a strong intuition." He said. I looked down, remembering the dream and how it almost came true. It probably would have, had I not had Adam get Rose out of there.

_~You can tell him.~_ The Tardis whispered in my mind. I bit my lip.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked. I took a deep breath and looked up at him. He had worry in his eyes.

"I'm going to sound absolutely mad, I know that, but I don't know, I guess it's just going to eat me alive if I don't say anything." I paused to breathe before continuing. "It's not just my intuition. I have . . . dreams."

"What do you mean?"

"The bad dream that woke me up. I started remembering it. I didn't remember all of it until it was almost too late." He raised an eyebrow at me. "The dream was about Rose and I running. In the dream there was something chasing us. There was a door closing. I tried to get Rose through it but she wouldn't leave me. We both got trapped. Then something killed me. That's why when Rose and I were trying to get to the bulkhead door, I had Adam make sure she got through. I knew that if something didn't change, my dream would come true."

"How did you know?" He questioned.

"This is the second major dream like that. The first one I couldn't change." I looked down at my hands. I could feel the tears trying to fall so I got up and started walking. The Doctor quickly followed. He gave me time to think. "The first one was with Gwyneth. I couldn't see much. There was darkness everywhere. Then I saw a match strike and the explosion that followed. There wasn't any pain though. That's why I was so determined to stay with her. I didn't know what to do until it was too late." I tried to desperately blink away the tears. The Doctor stepped in front of me and I looked up at him. He placed his hands on my shoulders. It reminded me of just how much shorter I was than him. He was a good 6 or 7 inches taller than me.

"Phoenix. Gwyneth was not your fault. Like you said to me. She had her mind set as soon as she believed they were her angels. There was nothing you could have done." He looked me in the eye while he spoke. When he was done. I nodded, seeing that he really meant it. He wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug. I hugged him back. When he let go I smiled.

"Thanks." I chuckled. He looked confused.

"For what?" He questioned.

"For knowing how to handle my minor meltdown." He smiled at me.

"Anytime. It's for all those times you try to correct my behavior." He teased. I snorted out a laugh, causing him to laugh as well. "Is that locket new?" He asked me. I looked down and noticed that for once it was hanging outside of my shirt. I held it in my hand.

"No. I've had it for as long as I can remember. I just normally have it hidden under my shirt." He looked at it briefly.

"What's inside?"

"It's empty. The lock broke years ago and I never bothered to fix it since there's nothing in it. I just like the moonstone on the front." I looked up at him from the necklace. He seemed lost in thought, staring off at nothing in particular. I frowned and put the locket back under my shirt. "I have a question." I said softly. He looked at me quickly. "Would you be willing to try and see if there's a reason I can't remember anything?"

"Of course. I told you I would help whenever you wanted." He agreed.

"What do I need to do?" I asked. He put his hands on either side of my face.

"Just close your eyes and relax. Anything you don't want me to see, put behind a door." He explained softly. I closed my eyes and breathed softly. There was darkness and a door in front of me. I opened it. The Doctor was on the other side of it. I let him through. He started wandering around. I looked through the doorway, wondering what was on the other side of it. It didn't take long to realize that it was the Doctor's mind. I was curious but I didn't want to ruin his trust. Though there was one memory that I could see without entering his mind. There was my necklace but it wasn't me holding it. It was a woman's hand. The nails were longer than mine and painted a deep purple. I shrugged it off and sat against the door frame in my mind. After a couple minutes the Doctor began to withdraw from my mind. When his hands left my face, I opened my eyes. He looked thoroughly confused now.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"It's strange. There's absolutely nothing from before you were 16. You have some memories before you met Jackie but not that many. And there's nothing that I can find that would be causing a block. It's almost as if you didn't exist before you were 16." He looked down at me. "Don't worry though. We'll figure it out." He tried to reassure me.

"It's alright. Thanks for trying." I smiled at him. "Maybe something will trigger a memory someday. Rose said I once mentioned something about my parents while drunk. Maybe it just takes the right situation." I shrugged.

"We'll figure it out. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help." He said gently.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Why don't you go get some rest. You deserve some good sleep."

"Alright. You too." I pointed at him and he chuckled. I walked toward the door but stopped and turned back to face him. "Oh, Doctor, if you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, you know where to find me." He smiled and nodded at me. I gave him a nod before walking to my room. As my door opened, so did Rose's. I looked over to see her coming out. She quickly closed the door behind her and hurried over to hug me. "You alright?" I asked her.

"Yes. I just didn't get to hug you earlier and I wanted to make sure you were alright." She said as she let go. I chuckled at her and opened my door.

"You've got to stop worrying so much. You and the Doctor both." I walked in and she followed me, closing the door behind her.

"You guys talked?" She asked as she looked around the room before sitting on the bed. I dimmed the light slightly so the stars on the walls and ceiling started shining.

"Yeah he made sure I was alright and apologized for the way he acted." I yawned. "You two really do worry to much." Part of me wanted to tell her about my memories but I really didn't want to give her something else to worry about.

"Well we care." She tried. Then she started smiling slyly. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't even say it." I frowned at her.

"Oh come on, he nearly killed Adam when he realized that you had been left behind earlier. For how adamantly deny things, you two really do care an awful lot about each other." She suggested. I groaned.

"He was only worried that he had caused someone to get hurt. That's it." I explained. She stared at me for a minute before she spoke again.

"Nix, look, I know you're afraid of relationships after Matt, but you gotta trust someone eventually." Her voice was soft. I couldn't look at her. Matt was a bloke I had dated for a while when I was 18. At first he was great, he was caring and an all around good guy. Then things changed. He quit his job. I helped support him as well as Jackie and Rose. When I wanted to go hang out with Rose, he got possessive and suspicious. Eventually I found out that he was cheating on me and using the money I gave to help with bills to buy another girl nice things. When I left him, he tried to stop me. He fractured my wrist. I broke a couple of his ribs. After him, I had decided not to date again.

"Matt showed me that I'm not relationship material. Besides, I'm pretty sure the Doctor just sees me as a friend." I offered. She smiled.

"So you do have feelings for him." She said excitedly. I huffed in frustration.

"Oh hush. Get out. I need to sleep." I pulled her off my bed. She gave me a hug and giggled as she left the room. I shook my head and changed into sleep clothes before crawling into bed.


	18. The Long Game - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. The outfit for this chapter is on Polyvore (/long_game/set?id=154244434) Thank you so much to those that review. I really do appreciate it. Sorry this chapter took so long to put out. I've had a lot of things going on with my family (family in the hospital, taking care of family members, a death, overall just a mess) so I haven't had much energy to write. I'm going to try and start updating once again but things are still a bit rough. As always, I LOVE reviews and I hope you enjoy!

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I thankfully didn't have any dreams that night. It was a welcome relief to wake up normally. I was even awake before Rose. I quickly got dressed in flare jeans, a teal tank top, a blue and purple plaid shirt, and my usual converse. When I was ready, I went to the kitchen to grab a soda then made my way to the console room. The Doctor was looking at a monitor. He looked up when I entered the room.

"Morning." He greeted me. "How'd you sleep?"

"Morning. I slept pretty well. Did you get any sleep?" I walked over and sat on the jump seat, drinking my soda.

"I don't need sleep as much as humans do." He waived it off. I rolled my eyes. He may not need as much sleep as me but he did need it at some point and I don't think he had been to sleep once since he met us. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Breakfast of champions." I raised my soda up. He chuckled.

"Where should we go today?" He beamed.

"Somewhere Rose can show off for boy toy." I teased.

"Good idea. If you distract the boy, I can inform her of where we land." He suggested as he messed with the console a bit.

"She'd like that. Are they up yet?" I asked. I felt the Tardis agree in my head.

"Yeah." I excused myself to tell Rose the plan. She agreed happily. Next I found Adam and got him something to drink while The Doctor landed us and did a quick explanation to Rose. When Adam and I got into the console room, Rose peaked in to see if we were there yet.

"Adam? Out you come." She beamed. I followed him out of the Tardis. The Doctor was leaning against the door smiling. I shook my head at him but smiled as well. Rose seemed so excited and Adam looked shocked.

"Oh my God." He breathed as they walked forward a bit.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Rose assured him.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around at the large room we had landed in.

"Good question. Let's see. So, er, judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year two hundred thousand. If you listen," She started. I was trying my hardest to hold in my laughter. The Doctor nudged me gently. He was chuckling softly as well. "engines. We're on some sort of space station. Yeah, definitely a space station." She explained. "It's a bit warm in here."

"You're telling me. You'd think this far in the future they'd have better cooling." I muttered, unbuttoning my over shirt.

"Yeah. They could turn the heating down. Tell you what – let's try that gate. Come on!" She led Adam to a side gate. The Doctor and I followed them. We went through a gate and up some stairs to a large viewing window. It showed the Earth. There were extremely tall towers all over. It was strange seeing it different from what it looked like on Platform One. "Here we go! And this is... I'll let the Doctor describe it." I bit my lip to keep from laughing. The Doctor stepped forward a bit.

"The Fourth great and bountiful Human Empire. And there it is, planet Earth at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons, population ninety six billion. The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle." He beamed excitedly. I walked close to the glass to get a good look at everything. I turned around when I heard a thud. Adam had passed out.

"Great choice with this one." I pointed at him. "Anyone going to help him?" I asked. The Doctor and Rose looked at each other.

"He's Rose's boyfriend." The Doctor tried, crossing his arms.

"Not anymore." She huffed. I rolled my eyes and tried to wake Adam up. After a couple minutes he finally started coming to. He groaned but I was able to get him upright with the help of Rose. I gave the Doctor a small glare. He smirked at me and started walking off. We followed him into a larger area than where the Tardis was.

"Come on, Adam. Open your mind. You're going to like this. Fantastic period of history. The human race at it's most intelligent. Culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners." The Doctor started explaining as he had an arm around Adam. Suddenly a man came rushing past us.

"Out of the way!" He called. The area quickly filled up with people and the food stations started serving people. I looked around and frowned.

"Good manners my ass. I've met nicer people on the streets." I huffed. From what I can remember before meeting Jackie, most of the people I met on the streets were quite nice. They offered suggestions on where to go for rest and where to get food. Rose walked up to a food stand to look at the different options.

"Fine cuisine?" She asked with a wrinkled nose. I listened as a chef was rattling off food names, one of which was something called a Kronkburger. It didn't look all that appetizing. It looked greasy and sloppy. I shuddered at the thought of how it must taste.

"My watch must be wrong." The Doctor looked at his watch strangely. "No, it's fine. This is weird." He looked around, as if trying to figure out why things weren't the way that he had expected them.

"That's what comes of showing off. You're history's not as good as you thought it was." Rose teased him. I smiled.

"My history's perfect." He pouted.

"Sure it is. This is the pinnacle of good manners and fine food." I gestured around me at the people running around, yelling and eating their less than ideal meals. He wrinkled his nose at me and I started laughing. Rose snickered next to me.

"They're all human. What about the millions of planets, the millions of species? Where are they?" Adam questioned. Rose and I turned to look at him.

"Good question." The Doctor seemed to just notice that Adam was the one that had asked this. He quickly turned to look at him with a look of shock on his face. "Actually, that is a good question. Adam, me old mate, you must be starving." He put his arm around Adam once again. Adam looked uneasy.

"No, I'm just a bit time sick." He tried to excuse his nervousness.

"No, you just need a bit of grub." The Doctor moved closer to the vendor in front of us. "Oi, mate. How much is a Kronkburger?" He asked.

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now join the queue." He finished with a frown. The Doctor moved back to us.

"Lovely personality." I frowned. The man must have heard me since I looked at him and he was glaring at me. I gave him an overly sweet smile. He sneered and returned to his customers.

"Money. We need money. Let's use a cashpoint." The Doctor was rambling. We all followed him over to a machine marked 'Credit Five Cashpoint'. He pulled out his sonic and used it on the machine. It produced a silver chunk of plastic. The Doctor took it and handed it to Adam. "There you go, pocket money. Don't spend it all on sweets." He smirked.

"How does it work?" Adam asked, looking over the thing the Doctor had given him.

"Go and find out. Stop nagging me. The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers. Or is that just me?" He joked.

"Not sure, never been to Paris." I added. He laughed at me.

"Well, we'll have to visit Paris some time. Anyway, Adam, stop asking questions, just go and do it. Off you go then." He gestured him on. Rose looked back to see if I was coming. I shook my head. "Your first date then." The Doctor smiled at her.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Hell, don't do half of the things that I would do." I teased.

"You two are going to get a smack, you are." She pointed at us. I held up my hands in surrender. She gave me a smirk and walked off with Adam. I rolled my eyes and turned to the Doctor.

"So, where do we start?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He was smiling. I shook my head slightly.

"You said your history was perfect but things aren't the way you said they would be. There's no sign of aliens around. Something is off. I'm assuming you want to figure out what it is. So, where do we start?" He looked proud.

"We start with the locals." He beamed and we walked over to two young women. "Er, this is going to sound daft, but can you tell me where we are?" He asked the women.

"Floor One Three Nine. Could they write it any bigger?" One woman scoffed while pointing to a large sign that read Floor 139 just a few feet away from us. I chuckled softly.

"Floor 139 of what?" He continued.

"Must have been a hell of a party." The woman chuckled.

"You're on Satellite Five." The other woman explained since the first wasn't.

"What's Satellite Five?" The Doctor asked.

"Come on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" The first woman asked. She seemed to be getting annoyed with his questioning.

"Look at me. I'm stupid." He joked.

"He can be quite thick at times. It's easiest to just humor his questions." I suggested.

"Oi, now who's the rude one?" He frowned at me. His voice was still humorous so I figured he was just joking.

"Hush. Just because you haven't been rude yet, it doesn't mean you aren't going to be at some point." I pointed out. He held up his hands.

"Hold on, wait a minute. Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?" The second woman asked when we had finished our little back and forth.

"You've got us. Well done. You're too clever for me." He pulled out his small wallet with the psychic paper. He showed it to them. This time, when I looked at it, it was completely blank. There was no fuzzy or glitching image. Just blank paper.

"We were warned about this in basic training. All workers have to be versed in company promotion." The second woman said with a smile. The first woman's attitude changed drastically. She no longer had the attitude that she was better than us. She stood up straight.

"Right, fire away, ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500 I'll do anything." She smiled.

"Why, what happens on Floor 500?" The Doctor asked.

"The walls are made of gold. And you should know, Mister Management." She leaned into him slightly, as if the second woman and I weren't there. It was a little strange. I ignored it though. "So, this is what we do." she led us over to a wall that had a couple screens on it. "Latest news, sandstorms on the new Venus archipelago. Two hundred dead. Glasgow water riots into their third day. Space lane seventy seven closed by sunspot activity. And over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant." She explained. I looked at the video of the Face of Boe. We had seen him in the year 5 billion. Now I was seeing him again. I wondered how long he lived. I wanted to ask but the Doctor continued talking to the women.

"I get it. You broadcast the news." He said.

"We are the news. We're the journalists. We write it, package it and sell it. Six hundred channels all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere. Nothing happens in the whole human empire without it going through us." She explained. I thought for a moment.

"Would it be a trouble if we were to observe you while you work?" I asked. She and the Doctor both looked at me.

"It wouldn't be a trouble. If you'll just follow me." She smiled. We followed her. An alarm sounded and all the people began getting up and running off back to work. When I spotted Rose and Adam I nudged the Doctor and pointed to them.

"Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" He called. They got up from the table they were sitting at and joined us, though Adam seemed to be taking a little longer to get moving. We continued down some hallways. "Good idea Phoenix." He smiled at me.

"Don't look so surprised. I have good ideas every once in a while." I chuckled. I looked at Rose. "How was your date?" I asked in an overly sweet voice. She wrinkled her nose at me but didn't say anything. We walked into a room that had what looked like a dentist chair and 7 seats on the floor around it. The second woman joined the others on the floor.

"Now, everybody behave. We have a management inspection." The woman announced before turning to us. "How do you want it, by the book?"

"Right from scratch, thanks." The Doctor said. She turned back to the others.

"Okay. So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot, my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor five hundred praising me, and please do." She shot a smirk to the Doctor. "Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and beyond bias. That's company policy."

"Actually, it's the law." The second woman from earlier pipped up.

"Yes, thank you, Suki. Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go." Cathica said as she got settled into the strange main chair. I popped my neck, there was an uncomfortable tension building in it. Rose gave me a confused glance. I shook my head. She really did worry too much. "And engage safety." Cathica called. The seven people seated on the floor put their hands over the system in front of them. Lights started turning on around the room. Rose and I looked around the room nervously. Cathica snapped her fingers and a small hole opened on the front of her head. Her brain was exposed. Suki and the others placed their hands into hand print indents on the console. "And three, two, and spike." A beam of light shone into Cathica's head. I blinked in surprise for a couple seconds before turning to the Doctor.

"That's intriguing. Care to explain?" I asked.

"Compressed information, streaming into her. Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer." He informed us. Rose and Adam were leaning on the railing, trying to get a good look at what was happening. I took a step back.

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius." Rose mused, still looking at Cathica.

"Nah, she wouldn't remember any of it. There's too much. Her head would blow up." He explained as he started walking around the room. Rose and I followed behind. "The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets."

"So, what about all these people round the edge?" Rose asked gesturing to Suki and the others.

"If she's the processor, what are they for other than a safety measure?" I asked. The Doctor looked at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"How do you know they're a safety measure?" He questioned.

"Well, Cathica said something about engaging safety. That's when they put their hands down. I figured they're some kind of safety so she doesn't get overloaded." I shrugged. He smiled.

"Good. They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place. Now that's what I call power." He leaned against the railing by Adam. Adam looked uneasy. I stood on the other side of the Doctor as Rose moved to stand by Adam.

"You alright?" She asked him.

"I can see her brain." He said weakly. I popped my neck again.

"How about you, Phoenix? You doing alright?" The Doctor asked. I looked at him. He was watching me carefully.

"Yeah. Just a bit tense. No worries." I shrugged it off. He nodded and continued to watch Cathica.

"Do you want to get out?" Rose asked Adam.

"No. No, this technology, it's amazing." He said excitedly. The Doctor and I shared an uneasy look.

"This technology's wrong." The Doctor corrected.

"Trouble?" Rose asked with a slight smile. The Doctor looked between us.

"Oh yeah." He smiled.

"Of course you think trouble is fun." I shook my head but smiled nonetheless. Suki suddenly pulled her hands away from the console, almost like she had been shocked. She massaged her hands as the others on the floor opened their eyes and lifted their hands. The beam of light stopped and Cathica sat up. The portal on her head closed as well. She looked livid.

"Come off it, Suki. I wasn't even halfway. What was that for?" She demanded, glaring at Suki.

"Sorry. It must have been a glitch." She muttered sheepishly. I felt bad for the girl. The wall that the chair faced lit up and announced a promotion. We all turned to look at it.

"Come on. This is it. Come on. Oh, God, make it me. Come on, say my name, say my name, say my name." Cathica almost chanted. I glanced to Rose and the Doctor. They were both looking as confused at Cathica's actions as me. She seemed much too eager, almost desperate. I mean, if the walls were indeed gold on floor 500, I guess I could see why she would want to get there. It just seemed like she was much too eager. It made me uneasy. The announcer speaking brought my attention back to the screen in front of us.

"Promotion for Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor five hundred." It announced. Suki looked shocked when she stood up to look at the screen. Cathica looked devastated and angry.

"I don't believe it. Floor five hundred." She walked a little closer to the screen almost as if she didn't believe it.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica demanded. "I'm above you." Suki turned and looked at her for a moment.

"I don't know. I just applied on the off chance and they've said yes." She looked so excited. If that whole place didn't make me so nervous, I would have been overjoyed. She seemed like such a nice girl. Cathica didn't seem to share my opinion.

"That's so not fair. I've been applying to Floor five hundred for three years." She snapped and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's Floor five hundred?" Rose asked the Doctor. He was still watching everything in the room.

"They say the walls are made of gold." I explained. She quirked an eyebrow in confusion. I just shrugged in response. Everyone started filing out of the room. Suki ran off to get her bags.


	19. The Long Game - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. I'm back (sort of) and trying to update about once a week. This episode and the next one is proving hard for me to write. I apologize if anything sounds off. I'm trying to keep going. I love hearing what you think. Please leave a review. :-) I hope you enjoy.

* * *

_Previously: "That's so not fair. I've been applying to Floor five hundred for three years." She snapped and crossed her arms over her chest._

_"What's Floor five hundred?" Rose asked the Doctor. He was still watching everything in the room._

_"They say the walls are made of gold." I explained. She quirked an eyebrow in confusion. I just shrugged in response. Everyone started filing out of the room. Suki ran off to get her bags._

* * *

Suki, Rose, Cathica, the Doctor, and I were standing around in front of a lift door. Adam was sitting at a table behind us slightly. He seemed a little off. He was glancing around the room, his eyes still a bit wide with shock. It was slightly worrisome but I figured if the Doctor wasn't concerned about Adam's distance and silence, then I shouldn't be either.

"Cathica, I'm going to miss you." Suki smiled at Cathica who didn't say anything in return. She only gave a blank stare. Suki turned to the Doctor. "Floor five hundred, thank you." She beamed excitedly, practically bouncing in place.

"I didn't do anything." He explained. She looked at me.

"Not me either." I smiled.

"Well, you're my lucky charms." She giggled, holding out her arms toward the Doctor.

"All right. I'll hug anyone." He chuckled and they hugged. Rose had moved away from us to talk to Adam. They were speaking quietly so I couldn't hear them. Suki came over and enveloped me in a hug as well. I was shocked for a moment but hugged her back as well. A feeling of cold overwhelmed me but she let go with a smile. Rose had walked back over to stand next to me.

"Where's Adam?" I asked quietly, looking over at her.

"Acclimatizing on the observation deck." She said softly, shifting slightly. She was uncomfortable and I didn't know what to do to for her. I frowned and turned back to Suki who was talking with the Doctor and Cathica.

"Oh, my God, I've got to go." She picked up her bags. "I can't keep them waiting." She ran into the lift. "I'm sorry. Say goodbye to Steve for me. Bye!" She called out with a wave as the doors to the lift closed. The Doctor, Rose and I waved back.

"Good riddance." Cathica said as she crossed her arms once again. I turned to look at her. She still looked thoroughly upset. She was almost glaring at the lift as it ascended. She had so desperately wanted the promotion and she blamed Suki for her not getting it. I had never seen someone so upset over a promotion.

"You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs." The Doctor offered. She looked at him as though he had suggested the sun went round the Earth.

"We won't. Once you go to Floor Five Hundred you never come back." She explained and started walking away. I stared after her for a minute, letting her words sink in. The Doctor had started following her so Rose grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

"Right. That's lovely. This is going on the list of things to never say, ever. Along with unsinkable, nothing could go wrong, what's the worst that could happen-" I started rambling. The Doctor looked back at me so I stopped. "What? It's not like anything good ever comes after saying something like that." I explained. It was true. Every time someone uttered one of those stupid phrases, things got out of hand.

"Point taken." He turned back to Cathica as we continued walking. "Have you ever been up there?"

"I can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to Floor Five Hundred except for the chosen few. Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance. Can't you just give it a rest?" Cathica groaned, once again crossing her arms. We had moved back into the room where she had been broadcasting from. Her 'ignore everything unless it directly involves me' attitude was grating on my nerves a bit.

"But you've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?" The Doctor questioned after he sat in the broadcasting chair. Rose stood on one side of him while Cathica stood on the other. I stayed back a bit and leaned on the railing behind Rose.

"I went to floor sixteen when I first arrived." She shook her head.

"What's on floor sixteen?" I asked. She glanced at me for a second.

"That's medical." She explained then turned her attention back to the Doctor. "That's when I got my head done, and then I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat, and sleep on the same floor."

"Seriously? You don't even get to visit others for holiday or something?" She didn't answer me. She only shook her head in response. I couldn't understand why you would agree to a position where you could never see anyone who didn't live in the same area as you. It didn't settle well with me. It didn't sound like a job, it sounded like a prison. "All these floors and you never see any of the others?" I added. The Doctor looked at me and smiled. He seemed to approve of my questioning. He looked back to Cathica when she began speaking.

"That's it. That's all there is." She said with a frown. She looked between us three. "You're not management, are you?" She asked carefully, finally realizing how strange our questions were. I was surprised it had taken her that long. I thought we had been fairly obvious. Perhaps people were just more gullible than I had thought.

"Nope." I smirked at her. It wasn't that I was happy she was upset. I was happy that she had finally started noticing the inconsistencies.

"At last. She's clever." The Doctor teased her. I chuckled. Rose turned and looked at me.

"Really?" She asked.

"What?" I was confused. I hadn't done anything other than laugh.

"No, 'stop being rude' comment?" I shook my head. She seemed surprised that I hadn't corrected his attitude toward Cathica. This woman was very quickly getting on my bad side. I honestly didn't mind the fact that the Doctor was being sarcastic. It was actually becoming slightly amusing. "Are you feeling alright?" She teased. I rolled my eyes at her and she giggled.

"Well, whatever it is you're doing, don't involve me. I don't know anything." Cathica huffed. Rose and I turned our attention back to her and the Doctor.

"Don't you even ask?" He asked her.

"Why would I?" I couldn't understand why she wouldn't. Maybe I was just a curious person, or maybe people had just stopped caring enough to question things.

"You're a journalist. Isn't that what you're supposed to do, question everything, figure out the truth in things?" I asked. She didn't answer me so the Doctor continued his questioning.

"Why's all the crew human?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" She truly was oblivious. It was quite sad.

"There's no aliens on board. Why?" He pushed.

"I don't know. No real reason. They're not banned or anything." She was beginning to get a bit uneasy with our questions. I decided to keep pushing her.

"Then where are they?" I pushed off from the railing and made my way closer to them. Cathica quickly looked from me to the Doctor. She was more apt to answer him. It was rather annoying.

"I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what with all the threats." She shrugged it off.

"What threats?" The Doctor continued.

"I don't know. All of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that keeps the visitors away." She was slowly beginning to panic. "Oh, and the government of Chavic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming. You see? Just lots of little reasons, that's all." She looked like she was trying to convince not only us that it was nothing, but also trying to reassure herself that there was nothing to worry about. It's much easier to ignore problems than fixing them or even convincing others that there is a problem.

"It's all adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice." He frowned.

"Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything." She said firmly.

"Another phrase to add to my list." I grumbled. Rose raised an eyebrow at me but I just shook my head. The Doctor and Cathica didn't seem to have heard my mutterings. They continued to go back and forth.

"I can see better. This society's the wrong shape, even the technology." He mused darkly.

"It's cutting edge." She quipped indignantly.

"It's backwards. There's a great big door in your head. You should have chucked this out years ago." He refuted. She touched her forehead instinctively. She frowned at us. Rose decided to finally speak up.

"So, what do you think is going on?" She asked the Doctor. He looked over at us.

"It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude. It's the way people think. The great and bountiful Human Empire's stunted. Something's holding it back." His frown deepened as he spoke. There was something truly troubling him and it worried me even more than before.

"And how would you know?" Cathica snapped. The Doctor quickly looked over at her.

"Trust me. Humanity's been set back about ninety years." He paused for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?" Cathica thought for a moment before responding nervously.

"Ninety one years ago." Her voice was much quieter than before. Even though she didn't seem to believe him at first, she seemed to be changing her mind ever so slightly. The Doctor jumped up from the chair and started walking out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Rose questioned as we walked. Cathica followed us, however reluctantly.

"I need to find out something." The Doctor responded cryptically as we walked through the break area and off to the far side of the room. There was a set of double doors that he walked up to and began to run his sonic screwdriver along the seam.

"Mainframe?" I questioned. He simply nodded and continued trying to get the doors open.

"We are so going to get in trouble. You're not allowed to touch the mainframe. You're going to get told off." Cathica pouted, looking around to see if anyone was watching us. I was glancing around the room as well, keeping an eye out. No one seemed to be paying us any attention. The Doctor groaned at her constant complaining.

"Rose, tell her to button it." He huffed and continued working. Rose looked at me, once again surprised that I hadn't told him off. I shrugged.

"You can't just vandalize the place. Someone's going to notice!" Cathica continued complaining. The doors to the mainframe finally opened. The Doctor started scanning the system with his sonic and messed with several wires. Cathica was pacing around us. It was putting me off. I could feel the beginning of a headache. I popped my neck to ease some of the tension and turned to her.

"Look around us. No one has noticed. Not a single person is looking at us. If we were going to get in trouble, don't you think someone would have said something by now?" She didn't answer me. "Exactly, now would you kindly shut up." I turned back to watch what the Doctor was doing.

"I think you've been around him too much." Rose told me, pointing to the Doctor. It confused me. "You're being rude." I didn't bother saying anything. I simply huffed at her and rolled my eyes. Cathica stopped pacing and had moved to the other side of the Doctor.

"This has nothing to do with me. I'm going back to work." It sounded like she was trying to get us to tell her to stay with us. The Doctor and I shared a quick glance before looking over at her.

"Go on, then." He told her then quickly returned to the mainframe.

"See you!" I added. Rose tried stifling a laugh from behind me. I narrowed my eyes at her. She just shook her head in response.

"I can't just leave you, can I!" Cathica was being overly dramatic. Before I could do anything to get myself in trouble, Rose started speaking.

"If you want to be useful, get them to turn the heating down. It's boiling. What's wrong with this place? Can't they do something about it?" She was sounding just as annoyed as me now. I smirked at her and she just wrinkled her nose at me.

"I don't know. We keep asking. Something to do with the turbine." Cathica was getting a bit snippy with her responses the more we started questioning things.

"Something to do with the turbine." The Doctor grumbled. He shook his head and started scanning more of the wires. I straightened up and turned to Cathica.

"How long has it been this warm? Have you ever seen someone doing maintenance? Or is this another one of those things where you stop questioning it once they've given you a half-assed answer?" I snapped. All three turned to look at me. I ignored Rose and the Doctor, focusing my attention on Cathica. She looked slightly afraid of me. "Well?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know!" She threw her arms up in defeat. The Doctor turned back to look at Cathica. I was grateful. I wasn't sure if he was mad at me or just confused at my attitude change like Rose was. Either way, I didn't want to see the look he had been giving me. Rose had been disappointed in me before so I knew I could easily work to get her to forgive me. The Doctor was a bit harder to figure out. I relaxed a bit when he started talking to Cathica.

"Exactly. I give up on you, Cathica. Now, Rose and Phoenix. Look at them. They're asking the right kind of questions." He gave us a quick smile. It threw me off a little bit.

"Really?" I questioned.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Oh, thank you." Rose smiled. I chuckled at her. She seemed to be just as shocked as me.

"Why is it so hot?" He asked Cathica.

"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central hating!" She whined.

"Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important." He mused as he pulled out a small monitor from the wires. "Here we go. Satellite Five, pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout." He pulled up the satellites schematics. Cathica walked over and looked at the monitor.

"This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange and you're looking at pipes?" She asked incredulously, looking back at the Doctor who had moved to stand a bit behind her.

"But there's something wrong." He said carefully, almost as if encouraging her to look more carefully at what was in front of her. He was being much more rational with her now. I wasn't sure if I could have been that civil with her. It was proving difficult for me to simply hold my tongue when I got annoyed with her.

"I suppose." She shrugged and turned to look at the monitor again. She continued to look over it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly started realizing what she was seeing.

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked nervously, trying to make sense of the image on the screen. I was trying to understand what Cathica was seeing but I had never really understood plumbing. Cathica turned to look at Rose.

"The ventilation system. Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out channeling massive amounts of heat down." She finished nervously. She turned to look at the Doctor, her eyes were wide with worry. She was slowly seeing the truth for herself.

"All the way from the top." The Doctor nodded his head.

"Floor Five Hundred?" I suggested.

"Something up there is generating tons and tons of heat." He agreed.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party. It's all going on upstairs." Rose fake pouted. I smiled when she looked at me.

"Fancy a trip?" I asked. Her smile matched my own.

"Might be dangerous." She teased.

"It always is with him." I gestured to the Doctor who was watching us with a small smile. "Besides, we'll end up there eventually. Why not go while we're willing?" I suggested, knowing that we would end up there somehow or another. If that was where things were happening, the Doctor was guaranteed to end up there. It was a pattern that I quickly picked up on through our few travels so far.

"You can't. You need a key." Cathica interrupted our light banter.

"Not really stopped us so far." I muttered, remembering the pain in my shoulder from breaking down the door to get to Rose in 1869. I subconsciously moved to rub my shoulder. The Doctor squeezed my other shoulder as he moved past me and up to the monitor.

"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here." He offered as numbers started appearing on the screen. They appeared one by one. "Here we go. Override two one five point nine." The numbers continued until the full code was revealed, 215.9976/31. Cathica looked from the monitor to the Doctor, a look of shock on her face.

"How come it's given _you_ the code?" She sneered slightly as she asked this. I began to glare at her. Her attitude had finally gotten to be too much for me. The only thing that stopped me from saying something I might regret, was Rose putting a hand on my shoulder. I glanced over at her. Her eyes held a disapproving look and she shook her head. I huffed and looked at the Doctor who looked up slightly. I searched for what he was looking at and saw a security camera.

"Someone up there likes me." He said solemnly. I frowned at this.

"Aww, and I thought they enjoyed my snarky attitude." I pretended to be saddened by this, crossing my arms and huffing once again. The Doctor chuckled slightly which eased the tension building in my neck slightly. When he was uneasy, I became even more on edge and tense. Rose rolled her eyes at my little show. Cathica looked a bit confused.

"No one enjoys your snarky attitude, we just deal with it." Rose teased me with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes, wrinkled my nose, and stuck my tongue out at her. We started walking toward the lifts.

"I don't know, I don't mind it." The Doctor grinned. "Much better than when she lets into me for being rude." I smiled at Rose triumphantly.

"See someone likes..." My smile faded as I realized what all the Doctor had said. I spun to look at him. "Hey! I'm not that bad! Am I?" I knew my lectures were annoying but I didn't know how annoying. I was slightly worried that they were a bit too much. The Doctor must have seen the hint of worry in my eyes. He put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly as we came to a stop in front of the lifts.

"Don't worry. Admittedly, sometimes I do need to be reminded of my rudeness." He chuckled softly before turning to the panel in front of the lift. As he put in the code from the monitor, a feeling of dread washed over me. The doors opened and the Doctor walked in. Rose grabbed my and and pulled me in as well, seeing as I was staring blankly before me not moving. She turned back to Cathica who was just watching us.

"Come on. Come with us." Rose waived her to follow us onto the lift. She stayed rooted to the spot watching us.

"No way." She shook her head nervously.

"Bye!" The Doctor said with a smile and a wave. I shook my head at him.

"Well, don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me." Cathica said nervously before running off. The doors to the lift closed leaving just me, the Doctor, and Rose. I stood between the two of them. Rose had let go of my hand and I had occupied myself with trying to pop my already popped knuckles. I tried not to visibly jump when the Doctor spoke up.

"That's her gone. Adam's given up. Looks like it's just the three of us." From the corner of my eye I could see that he looked at us both with a smile. I tried to smile as well but even I could tell it looked forced.

"Yeah." Rose agreed.

"Good. Now, Phoenix, what's wrong?" I turned to look at the Doctor when he asked this.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly.

"Ever since we got to the lift, you've been silent. You went from snarky to silent in a matter of seconds." He explained.

"And now that I think of it, you only ever really snarky when you're nervous. And now you're trying to pop your knuckles." Rose added. I looked down at my hands and clasped them together. I looked up to see both Rose and the Doctor looking at me.

"I just have a bad feeling. It's hard to explain." I muttered. There was no real way for me to explain the feeling. It had been building since we landed on Satellite Five. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it but still the feeling kept growing. Before either had a chance to question me any more about it, the doors to the lift opened revealing Floor Five Hundred. It was rather dark and freezing cold. Ice and frost clung to everything in sight. There wasn't another person in sight and no sign that people had been there other than a faint set of footprints on the frost covered floor. I assumed they were from Suki. We stepped out of the elevator and looked around the room.

"The walls are not made of gold. You two should go back downstairs." The Doctor suggested, taking everything in.

"Tough." Rose pipped up as she shivered.

"Yeah. Nice try. We're not leaving you up here alone. Who knows what kind of trouble you would get yourself in." I echoed Rose's thoughts. She and I linked arms and started walking off the way that the footprints went. Rose didn't seem to notice them so I was leading her. The Doctor followed after us.

"You get a bad feeling but you're willing to walk aimlessly up here?" The Doctor scoffed. He wasn't trying to be mean, at least I didn't think so. I'd like to believe he was simply trying to get Rose and I out of possible danger. He was awfully protective and sometimes that meant he would say whatever it took to get us away from the possible danger.

"I'm not wandering aimlessly. There's a rather fresh set of footprints on the ground. I'm assuming they're Suki's. Even if we don't figure anything out, maybe we can at least find her." I offered, gesturing to the path on the floor that I was following. The Doctor shrugged and took up the lead.

We quickly followed the path. It led to a strange observation type room. There was a row of computers with people sitting in front of them, though they didn't seem to respond to the movement of us entering the room. They were all terribly pale and looked like they had frost forming on them as well. In front of the computers was a wall of screens showing various things. There was a man standing behind the row of people. He had pale skin, white hair, and shockingly blue eyes. He chuckled when he looked at us.

"I started without you. This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." He was gesturing to the different things on the screens. Rose and I began to look at the people at the computers. I tried waving my hand in front of one of the people but they didn't react at all. The man continued talking. "Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but you three, you don't exist. Not a trace. No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?" He sounded excited almost. I frowned at him. Just then, I looked over and saw Suki at the furthest computer. Rose noticed her as well and ran over. I quickly followed. We went to either side of her.

"Suki. Suki! Hello? Can you hear me? Suki?" Rose called to her. When she went to touch Suki's arm she recoiled from the cold.

"Suki?" I asked quietly. I waved my hand in front of her but she didn't even blink. Her eyes were frozen to the screen in front of her. "What in the hell have you done to her and the others?" I demanded, rounding on the pale man.

"I think she's dead." The Doctor offered softly. My fury at the pale man grew when I realized the Doctor was right. Suki didn't have a pulse.

"But how? She's still working." Rose mused.

"They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going, like puppets." The Doctor explained as Rose and I stood up from being crouched next to Suki. The man was looking at the Doctor. He smiled as the Doctor explained things to us.

"Oh! You're full of information. But it's only fair we get some information back, because apparently, you're no one. It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?" The pale man asked.

"It doesn't matter, because we're off. Nice to meet you." He looked to Rose and I "Come on." Though he was trying to hide it, I could hear the slight worry in his voice. He turned to walk away when two of the frozen workers grabbed him and held him still. Rose and I moved to run over to him but Suki grabbed each of our arms. Her grip was strong and tight. No amount of shaking or prying would get her to let go of us. I looked over to the Doctor. The man was standing in front of him as he was still being held.

"Tell me who you are." The man's voice was calm and even.

"Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly going to say, am I." The Doctor scoffed at him. The man frowned. I continued trying to pry Suki's hand from my arm. She wasn't budging.

"Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"And who's that?"

"It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live." There was a growling and snarling from above. The man continued talking. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry. It's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client." The man pointed above him. We all looked up to see a giant blob hanging from the ceiling. It was slick and fleshy. It had a large mouth filled with dozens of long, sharp teeth. It growled and snapped its jaw at us.

"What the hell is that?" Rose and I cried out at the same time. The pale man seemed to ignore us and instead focused solely on the Doctor.

"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" The Doctor questioned.

"That thing, as you put it, is in charge of the human race. For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by it's broadcast news, edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe. I call him Max." The man beamed. "Now, let's get you three more comfortable, shall we?" He snapped his fingers. The men holding the Doctor brought him over to a structure that had wires and tubes coming off it. A third man came up and put his wrists into a set of manacles. He struggled but they eventually got him secured. When he was secured, they came and got Rose, locking her up as well. She put up a small fight but gave in eventually. When they came for me, I started thrashing around. My protectiveness of Rose had kicked in and I didn't care so much about my own safety. I had to get her and the Doctor free. While thrashing around, I was actually able to kick the legs out from under the third guy. Sadly he quickly got back on his feet. After a few minutes of struggling, they secured me on the other side of Rose. The man walked in front of me. "You're a feisty one aren't you?" He was just far enough away that I couldn't reach him with my legs.

"Come a little closer and I'll show you feisty." I growled at him. He chuckled and walked over in front of the Doctor. The strange anger from Platform One had returned. There was no emotions other than anger.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked softly. I didn't want to, but I eventually looked at her. She looked truly worried.

"I'm fine Rose. Don't worry about me." I tried to reassure her but I didn't really know what to say to calm her worries. I hadn't really spoken with her about the strange anger from Platform One and I wasn't sure how to explain it. Even if I did, it would only worry her more. I looked over to see the man talking with the Doctor.

"Create a climate of fear and it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy, invent an enemy, change a vote." He was explaining how everything worked.

"So all the people on Earth are like, slaves." Rose was beginning to get angry as well. Like usual with her, it started off with a slow annoyance and quickly grew.

"Well, now, there's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" The man pondered with a smile.

"Yes." The Doctor and I said at the same time.

"Oh. I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?" The man looked between the two of us, frowning.

"Yes."

"You're no fun." The man practically huffed.

"Let me out of these manacles. You'll find out how much fun I am." The Doctor grumbled at him.

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he. But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit." He looked at us as if he was hoping we would agree with him. I was flexing my hands slightly, trying to release some of the tension.

"You can't hide something on this scale. Somebody must have noticed." Rose spoke up finally.

"From time to time, someone, yes, but the computer chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt and crush it." The man explained, closing his fist as if he was actually crushing something.

"Oh that's lovely. No free will. Walking, talking, breathing puppets." I fumed at the man. He looked at me with a smile.

"Not quite puppets. I crush the doubt then they just carry on, living the life, strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual, when of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing." While he was talking I looked over and saw a reflection on a piece of metal. Cathica was there, trying to remain unnoticed. Rose must have noticed her as well.

"What about you? You're not a . . . Jagrabelly." She started talking, keeping the man looking at us.

"Jagrafess." The Doctor corrected her. She looked at him.

"What?" She asked.

"It's Jagrafess, Rose dear." I explained. She nodded in understanding and turned back to the man.

"Right, Jagrafess. You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."

"Yeah, well, simply being human doesn't pay very well." He replied angrily.

"There's no way you couldn't have done all of this all on your own." I tried to keep him talking. One thing that I had learned, people love to brag. More importantly, people who think they have pulled off something big, like a heist or crime or taking over, like to brag. They explain their plan or give away information since they think they've already won. The man started chuckling.

"No. I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to install himself." He explained.

"No wonder, a creature that size. What's his life span?" The Doctor asked him.

"Three thousand years."

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs. Jagrafess stays cool, it stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life support system." I kept carefully stealing glances over to Cathica's reflection. She was looking up at the Jagrafess nervously.

"But that's why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown. Who are you?" He snapped his fingers. Suddenly power went surging through the manacles shocking us. Rose and the Doctor cried out in pain. Something in me changed. I refused to make any sound. My vision went black as the shock continued.

_"We know you've seen something. Just agree to help us and this can stop." A man called from the shadows around a young woman. Long brown hair hung limply over her pale shoulders. She was on her knees, her arms held up by chains from the ceiling. She stared silently at the floor in front of her. She remained silent, not responding to the man's voice in any way. "As you wish." He said darkly. Electricity flowed from the chains into the young woman. Her body tensed up but she refused to make a sound. She couldn't give that to them. That's what they wanted. Instead she closed her eyes and willed herself to let go of the pain._

The pain stopped and I blinked a couple times to clear my vision. I was still on Satellite Five, chained up with Rose and the Doctor. They were both looking at the man in front of us. He was smirking as we caught our breaths. I could feel my nails digging into my palms from clenching my fists so hard. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Doctor look at Rose and I to make sure we were alright. I refused to look away from the man who quirked an eyebrow at my intense stare.

"Leave them alone. I'm the Doctor, they're Phoenix and Rose Tyler. We're nothing, we're just wandering." The Doctor tried to explain. Fear laced his voice.

"Tell me who you are!" The man bounced as he demanded more information.

"He just said! He's the Doctor, I'm Phoenix, and she's Rose Tyler. Want us to wear name tags? Would that make it easier?" I growled at him. He began to walk toward us.

"But who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly-" He stopped when the Jagrafess began to growl above him. "Time Lord." He beamed.

"What?" The Doctor sounded truly shocked. I frowned and looked over to him. I hated seeing him so worried.

"Oh, yes. The last of the Time Lords in his traveling machine. Oh, and with his little human girls from long ago." The man moved to caress Rose's face. She quickly turned her head away from him. That was the last straw. I used my arms to hold my body up and sent a leg into his side. He grunted and moved back a couple feet. He chuckled darkly and looked at me. "Feisty."

"Try something like that again. I fucking dare you. Touch her again and see what I'll do." I growled at him, shaking the manacles trying to slip my hands out. He chuckled at my feeble attempt to get free.

"Nix. I'm fine." Rose whispered to me, trying to calm me. I refused to look at her. "Nix look at me." Finally I glanced at her. Her forehead was creased with worry. I frowned and stopped struggling. She seemed to relax a little.

"Phoenix, always protecting her sister Rose." The man teased.

"You don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor tried to take the man's attention from me and Rose. The man looked at him with a smile.

"Time travel." He beamed.

"Someone's been telling you lies." The Doctor tried.

"Young master Adam Mitchell?" He asked, snapping his fingers. A holographic monitor appeared. Adam was sitting in the broadcasting chair that Cathica had been in earlier. He had the small door in his forehead and information was streaming into, as well as out of, his head.

"Oh, my God. His head!" Rose exclaimed.

"You bloody idiot. What have you done?" I groaned. I remembered the gut feeling that he was bad news from when we were in Van Statten's museum. For some reason, I had decided to ignore that feeling. Then earlier in the day when he decided to 'acclimatize' I ignored the worry as well. Second guessing my own intuition was proving to be a very bad and dangerous decision.

"What the hell's he done? What the hell's he gone and done? They're reading his mind. He's telling them everything." The Doctor explained. He sounded terrified at what Adam knew and what this man in front of him now knew.

"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in you S. Tardis." The man explained with a smirk.

"Well, you'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first." The Doctor threatened.

"Die all you like. I don't need you. I've got the key." The holographic monitor showed a Tardis key floating out of Adam's pocket. I looked over to Rose who looked guilty.

"You didn't." I tried. She looked at me apologetically.

"I just figured this was all too much for him and that he'd be more comfortable in the Tardis." She tried. I groaned and hit the back of my head on the structure behind us. Of course the one guy she decided to bring along with us was an idiot. She had horrible taste in men. The only one that wasn't completely awful had been Mickey.

"You and your boyfriends!" The Doctor snapped at her.

"Oi! Watch it. You let him come. You could have just as easily told him no." I barked at him. Rose already felt bad enough. He didn't need to go making her feel even worse. He groaned and rolled his eyes at me. I shook my head and looked at the man in front of us as he began to speak.

"Today, _we_ are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing." He looked so excited. He wasn't even thinking of the repercussions. The stupidity and ignorance of some people amazed me.

"And no one's going to stop you because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold." As the Doctor spoke, I saw him looking over to Cathica's reflection. I had almost forgotten she was standing there. The Jagrafess began to growl and snarl at us and Cathica went back the way she came. A couple moments later an alarm began to go off. The man went to look at the screens in front of the dead workers.

"What's happening?" He asked the workers. The Jagrafess snarled even louder and more frantically. "Someone's disengaged the safety." He snapped his fingers and another holographic monitor appeared showing Cathica in a different broadcasting chair. "Who's that?" He demanded. Cathica had information streaming out of her head. I smiled at this.

"It's Cathica." Rose breathed.

"And she's thinking. She's using what she knows." The Doctor said excitedly.

"Guess she's not as daft as we thought." I chuckled.

"Terminate her access." The man growled at Suki's corpse.

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five. The pipes, the filters, she's reversing it." He was beaming with excitement. I looked around the room.

"Look at that." I nodded my head to some icicles off to the side. They had begun to melt rather rapidly. Water was beginning to flow down the walls from the ice melting.

"It's getting hot." The Doctor agreed.

"I said, terminate. Burn out her mind." The man ordered frantically. He put his hand over Suki's to try and help the process. The monitors around the room began to spark and explode, screens went black. With one last explosion, the operators collapsed. Even more alarms began to blare. There were more sparks and the manacles holding rose and I unclasped slightly. Hers opened fully but mine were open just enough to work my wrists free.

"She's venting the heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano." The Doctor looked up at the Jagrafess. It began to snarl and thrash around. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or pain. The man began to address the beast above him.

"Yes, I'm trying, sir, but I don't know how she did it. It's impossible. A member of staff with an idea." He went back to the main console to try and do something. I walked in front of the Doctor. His manacles were still closed.

"Which pocket?" I asked. He gave a raised eyebrow. "Sonic."

"Front, your left." He said simply. I pulled out the sonic and pointed it at his manacles. I turned something and pressed the button on it. The tip lit up and it started buzzing. I ran it over both manacles. They both unlocked and Rose helped me finish pulling them apart. "Oi, mate, want to bank on a certainty? Massive heat in a massive body, massive bang. See you in the headlines!" I grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her out of the room, the Doctor followed us. They went toward the lift.

"Cathica!" I called out. The Doctor changed directions and we went of to a side room. Cathica was still in the broadcasting chair with her eyes closed. The Doctor snapped his fingers and the portal on her forehead closed. I helped her stand and we made our way back to the lift.

Once down on floor 139, we found somewhere to sit near the Tardis. People were walking around either helping others who had been injured or cleaning up the mess from the satellite shaking so bad from the Jagrafess blowing up. Cathica and the Doctor were sitting while Rose and I stood behind the Doctor.

"We're just going to go. I hate tidying up. Too many questions. You'll manage." He explained to Cathica.

"You'll have to stay and explain it. No one's going to believe me." She tried nervously.

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things now. The human race should accelerate. All back to normal." He reassured her.

"What about your friend?" She asked looking over to Adam who was standing in front of the Tardis, looking her over.

"He's not my friend." The Doctor fumed as he stood. I went to follow him when Rose tried to stop us.

"Now, don't-" She pleaded. I got around her and the Doctor and stormed off to Adam.

"I'm all right now. Much better. And I've got the key. Look, it's. It all worked out for the best, didn't it? You know, it's not actually my fault, because_ you _were in charge." He pointed to the Doctor. I walked up to him and his eyes widened. I paused for a moment before I slapped him. His head snapped to the side from the impact. His hands quickly went to hold his reddening cheek. "You slapped me!" He cried in shock.

"You're lucky that's all I did. Rose and the Doctor could have been hurt by your stupidity." I snapped at him before opening the Tardis door and walking in. The Doctor grabbed him by the back of his neck and guided him in. Rose followed quietly. I pointed to the jump seat and Adam took the seat quietly. Rose and I helped the Doctor quickly pilot the Tardis. When we stopped, the Doctor pulled Adam up from his seat and guided him out the door.

"It's my house. I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" Adam chuckled. He turned and looked at me and the Doctor. "Blimey. I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock."

"Thank Rose and the Doctor for that one." I growled at him.

"Is there something else you want to tell me?" The Doctor demanded.

"No. What do you mean?" Adam straightened up as he spoke, trying to hide something. The Doctor walked over to where the answering machine was.

"The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world." He said as he picked up the answering machine. Adam tried to find the words to explain himself but nothing would come out. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and messed with the machine. It sparked a few times before it exploded. Rose and Adam flinched at the explosion. "That's it, then. See you." He made his way back to where Rose and I were standing, leaning on the Tardis.

"How do you mean, see you?" Adam questioned.

"As in goodbye." The Doctor explained.

"But what about me? You can't just go. I've got my head. I've got a chip type two. My head opens."

"What, like this?" The Doctor snapped his fingers and the small portal opened on Adam's forehead. I smiled at this.

"Don't." Adam snapped his fingers to close it.

"Don't do what?" Again the Doctor opened the portal.

"Stop it!" Adam closed it again.

"Stop what?" I asked as I snapped my fingers. He snapped his to close it and frowned at me. I smirked back.

"All right now, guys, that's enough. Stop it." Rose reprimanded us.

"Thank you." Adam thanked her. She turned back to him and snapped her fingers.

"Oi!" He whined.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Rose giggled. Adam closed it once again.

"The whole of history could have changed because of you." The Doctor lectured him.

"I just wanted to help." Adam tried to defend himself.

"Who were you trying to help? That recording only benefited you. You were trying to help yourself. Don't act as though you had pure intentions." I snapped at him. "And to make it worse, your decisions affected more than just you. You could have gotten people hurt, or worse." I wasn't really concerned about myself, but something could have happened to Rose or the Doctor.

"And I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am, but you can't just leave me like this." He pleaded. I snorted at this.

"Yes I can. 'Cause if you show that head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average, unseen. Good luck." The Doctor turned and opened the door to the Tardis.

"But I want to come with you." Adam begged. The Doctor stopped and turned to face him. He looked at Rose then me before shaking his head.

"I only take the best. I've got Rose and Phoenix." He walked into the Tardis and I followed. I could hear a woman's voice calling out. I sat on the jump seat as the Doctor went to the console. He looked at me and I gave him a nod. We didn't need a repeat of the 'are you alright' conversation so the head nod was our silent compromise. Rose came in a moment later and the Doctor set us in flight. When we were safe in the vortex, Rose decided to break the silence.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know he would do something like that." She was looking at the floor while she apologized. I walked over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It's not your fault. He's his own person. He made his decisions without your help." I assured her. She looked at me with a grateful smile. The Doctor moved around the console to face us.

"Phoenix is right. You didn't control him. And I was the one that let him on board in the first place. Though giving him your key was irresponsible. I gave it to you, not him." He was being surprisingly reasonable and not rude like I had expected.

"I won't do it again. I promise." She said carefully.

"You better not." He gave her a nod and walked off. I turned to face her better.

"Are you alright?" I questioned gently. She hugged me tightly.

"Why do I choose idiots?" She wasn't crying but I could feel how upset she was. I rubbed her back softly as she hugged me.

"You're a sweet girl. Jerks and idiots are attracted to kind people like you because you don't make an instant judgment. There's nothing wrong with you, you just need to be careful with who you trust." She let go of me and gave me a small smile.

"How are you so good with advice like this? You've only dated Matt and that didn't go that well."

"Not sure. I've always been told I have an old soul. I've also been called a fountain of useless information. Maybe not all my random knowledge is useless." I joked. She giggled and shook her head at me. She tried to cover a yawn which made me yawn in return. "We should get some rest." I suggested. She nodded her head in agreement. We started walking toward our rooms when I saw the Doctor in a room with the door open. I peaked in. He looked over at me.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. We're going to bed. See you in the morning. Try to get some rest." He nodded and we walked off. I gave Rose a hug before she went into her room and I went into mine. I took a hot shower to relax my still somewhat tense muscles before putting on some sleep clothes and crawling into bed. The lights turned off and I watched the stars until I drifted off to sleep.


	20. Locked In

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you so very much to RudeandNotGinger92 and the two guest reviews! I get so excited when I see a new review. It gives me that little bit of encouragement to keep writing. Since you all were so lovely and wrote reviews, I decided to try and put out another chapter. Sorry it's shorter than normal chapters but it's a connector chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this so far. The outfit for this is on Polyvore (/fathers_day/set?id=170741089) I hope you enjoy and please leave a review. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, etc. Alright, enough rambling, on to the next chapter. :-)

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I awoke only a couple hours after falling asleep. I looked over and saw a small digital clock glowing on my nightstand. It had only been 5 hours since I had gone to bed and it didn't feel like I would be able to fall back asleep any time soon. With a frown I got up and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a light gray tank top and a black hoodie.

_~Is everything alright?~_ The Tardis asked softly as I was getting ready.

"Yeah. I just can't sleep. Guess I'm not as tired as I thought." I muttered, trying to get my messy hair under control. It was a struggle.

_~Would you like me to get you something or let the Doctor know?~_

"No thank you. I'll just get some soda and do some reading. I appreciate it though." She hummed gently in my mind. "Is Rose asleep?"

_~Yes. She went to sleep after calling her mother and talking with her for a while.~_

"How are they?" I was always concerned about Rose and I felt guilty that I hadn't called Jackie in a while. She seemed to accept me leaving better than she had with Rose. It seemed like she really had been preparing for me to leave eventually.

_~Jackie was glad to hear that you were both alright. She's doing well. And Rose is doing better now that she spoke with Jackie.~_ I thanked her for letting me know and made my way to the kitchen to get something to drink. After pouring a glass of soda, I went to leave but the door opened to a pantry.

"What's this about?" I asked. It was definitely the door I had come through.

_~You need to eat. How long since you've eaten something?~ _She was sounding like Jackie did when I forgot to eat. I didn't do it on purpose but I just didn't feel hungry that often. I ate tiny snacks throughout the day and felt fine. I only ate normal meals when I was truly hungry or when others seemed really concerned.

"I'm fine. I don't need to eat." I closed the door and went to try the door across the room. It opened to the same room. "I'm not hungry." I pouted, going back to the first door.

_~I'm not letting you out until you eat something. It doesn't have to be much but you need something.~ _She tried.

"I'm not eating." I huffed. After trying the doors a couple more times I groaned and stood in the middle of the room. "You'll have to let me out eventually." She just hummed. "Sooner or later the Doctor or Rose will come looking for me. I'll just sit here and wait." Nothing. "You may be stubborn but you have seen nothing. I can wait. I'll just sit here until one of them comes to find me." I huffed and plopped myself on the ground in the middle of the room. "You are insufferable." I whined after a minute. There was a chuckling behind me so I turned. The Doctor was leaning against the door frame laughing at me. I scrunched up my face and stood up. "Did the traitorous omnipotent ship tell you I was in here?" I questioned.

"No, I heard you arguing with her from the console room." He chuckled.

"Oh." I hadn't realized I was being loud. Embarrassment flooded me and I felt my cheeks heat up. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was that loud." I apologized.

"It's fine. What's the problem?" He asked with a smile.

"She wouldn't let me leave. She just kept making the doors lead to the pantry. I'm not hungry and I told her that." I frowned at the ceiling as I said this. I could feel her laughing. I stuck my tongue out at her and tried to open the door that the Doctor had just come in from. Once again it was a pantry. He began laughing behind me when I groaned in frustration. I spun to face him. "What's so funny?"

"She's mothering you. She says you haven't eaten in a while. When was the last time you ate?" He asked, beginning to sound concerned.

"No, please, no Mr. Concerned. I'm fine. I had an apple this morning before Satellite Five." I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

"And before that?" He continued. I thought for a moment.

"I had breakfast with Rose before Van Statten's museum." He frowned. I groaned. "Ok, so it's been a while. But like I told her, I'm fine. I'm not hungry." He raised an eyebrow in challenge. With a huff, I pushed myself away from the wall. "Fine, I'll eat something. I can't stand it when you two plot against me." He snorted and I felt her laughing.

_~I'm beginning to think Rose was right when you were having breakfast.~ _She teased. I glared at the ceiling, hoping desperately that she wouldn't say anything like that to the Doctor. _~I won't say anything. I'm not that traitorous.~_ She continued to laugh.

"So, what would you like?" The Doctor asked as we both looked into the refrigerator. It was fully stocked. I was amazed at the variety of things within.

"What do you want? If I'm eating, so are you. It's only fair." He shook his head while smiling and continued to look.

"I'll eat just about anything. Not sure how good of a cook I am though. Haven't really tried yet." He mused the last part more to himself than anything. I looked at him curiously before giving up and pulling out some ground beef and vegetables.

"Well you're lucky that I make a killer goulash then. It's one of maybe six meals that I feel confidant making." I explained as I grabbed pots and pans from cabinets along with the rest of the items I needed. Luckily there was everything I needed, even different varieties of the items.

"Do you need any help?" He asked from the other side of the counter.

"No, it's alright. You can just sit and watch the magic and slight train wreck that is me cooking. I get a bit fidgety when people are in my work area when I cook. One time, Rose had to force Mickey to stay in the living room while I cooked because he kept trying to taste everything. I almost decked him with a frying pan." I giggled as I set noodles to boil and began cutting vegetables. The Doctor laughed and sat on one of the stools on the other side of the counter.

"Then I won't get in your way." He teased. I shook my head and continued working. I decided to learn more about him while I cooked.

"So, you said you were 900 years old. Do you not age, or do you just age at a slower rate? I mean, you look pretty young for your age." He chuckled softly. "If I ever ask anything too personal, just let me know. I've been known to not have a filter on what I say." I was curious about him but I didn't want to ask anything that was too painful for him to answer. Rose had been right when she had said we should know who we're traveling with.

"It's alright. As a Time Lord I age at a much slower rate. There's also this thing I can do. It's a way of cheating death. If I'm dying, I regenerate, I become a whole new person." He went on to explain how regeneration worked, how he would look completely different and have some slightly different personality quirks but still have all the same memories. He explained how he had regenerated a little while before meeting me and Rose. It explained why he was so fascinated with his image at Jackie's flat and why he didn't know if he could cook. He said it was because of the war so I decided not to continue with that topic. I started cooking the meat and checking on the noodles.

"So in 900 years, have you traveled with other people? Rose and I surely aren't the first to come with." I offered.

"I've had several companions over the years." He said carefully. It was almost as if he was worried how I would react. I was intrigued to hear more. I wanted to know about the other adventures he had been on.

"What were they like?" I asked. He smiled and started talking about past friends. He talked about his granddaughter, her teachers that accidentally went with, and many others. I smiled when I saw him smile at the thought of them. He definitely cared about all those who traveled with him. Sarah Jane Smith was by far my favorite from his stories. I finished cooking and made us each a plate. I handed him his plate. He thanked me and I sat next to him to eat. "I would love to meet her." I smiled.

"It would be entertaining having you two meet." He chuckled. "But she's got her own life now. I had to leave her behind to deal with things back home." He seemed saddened and slightly regretful.

"We could always check on her. Help you see that she's doing well." I offered.

"Maybe some day." I nodded in agreement, not wanting to push it. "This is really good." He beamed, getting a second helping. I smiled.

"I'm glad you approve. Told you it was a killer goulash." We laughed and continued eating in a comfortable silence. I loved it when people liked my cooking. It made me feel like I was doing something right. When we were done, he helped me put away leftovers and clean the dishes.

"Where'd you learn to cook like that?" He asked as we walked into the console room. I hopped up onto the jump seat.

"My great gran." I said quickly before I frowned. I didn't remember my parents let alone grand parents or great grandparents. It just slipped out. Maybe it was true. "I think. . . I'm not actually sure." I looked up to see the Doctor watching me carefully while leaning against the console. "Why do I keep saying things that I can't remember?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"I just instinctively said my great gran taught me but I don't remember her. I don't remember any of my family. Then Rose told me a while back that I mentioned something about my parents while drunk. I feel like I'm going mad when I say stuff like that." I looked down at my hands and started picking at my nails.

"You're not going mad, Phoenix." I looked up at him but continued picking at my nails. "Maybe they're just fragments of memories coming through. It's a good thing. It means you still remember but there's just something keeping the full memories from coming through. We'll figure it out." He came and sat next to me.

"What if there's a reason they're blocked though? Rose said I mentioned my parents fighting a lot." I went back to looking at my hands. I had some knowledge about psychology. It was something I read up on in my spare time. From all I had read, this strong of amnesia only came from highly traumatic events. It was terrifying thinking that I had gone through something so bad that I blocked all memories, even ones of who I was.

"Then Rose and I will help you deal with it. We're both here for you. Don't forget that. We'll help you figure it out. I promise." He was so sincere. It helped ease my worry slightly.

"Pinky promise?" I asked with a smile, holding out my pinky. He chuckled and linked his with mine.

"Pinky promise." We chuckled when we let go. "Aren't you tired?"

"Surprisingly no. It's a bit odd for me to only get a little sleep, but as long as I'm not tired I guess it's not a bad thing." I shrugged.

"Yeah. Rose mentioned that you sleep in a lot." He teased.

"What can I say? It takes a lot of energy being this awesome." He snorted which caused me to laugh. When we calmed down a bit I decided to ask him something. "Why don't you sleep? I know you said you don't need to sleep as much as humans, but surely you must need sleep some time. You haven't slept once since we met."

"How do you know I haven't slept?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I can see it in your eyes. I know what sleep deprivation looks like. You need to get some sleep. If not for yourself, then do it so you won't be too tired to think while we travel." I suggested. His frown made me think for a minute. "You have nightmares, don't you?" I tried to be careful with how much I pushed him. He didn't respond. "Come sit with me in the library. Relax on the couch while I read. Maybe you can at least get a small nap in." I suggested, getting up from the jump seat. He watched me carefully but didn't join me. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to the library without him.

I found a book and sat in a large chair near a couch. I became so invested in the book that I almost didn't notice the Doctor come in and recline on the couch. He didn't say anything so I continued reading. Maybe he was humoring me, or doing it to get me to stop nagging him, but he eventually fell asleep. I heard his breathing even out and looked over at him. He looked relaxed for the first time in a while. I quietly got up and walked over to a small closet in the library. After pulling out two blankets, I made my way back to the chair. He already had a small pillow under his head so I gently laid one of the blankets over him. Thankfully he didn't wake. I climbed back in the chair and threw the other blanket around myself before continuing to read.

Some time later, I was greeted by a glass of soda being dangled between me and my book. I looked up and saw Rose holding the glass in front of my face. She smiled when I took it. I looked over at the couch. It was empty other than the folded up blanket under the small pillow. I wondered how long he had slept. I could only hope that it had been enough. The Tardis gave a comforting hum in my head so I smiled. If she was happy with how much he slept, it was good enough for me. She had known him longer after all.

"Thank you." I smiled at Rose and took a large swig from the glass. She sat on the couch and laughed at me. "What?"

"The Doctor said you've been in here for hours without moving. I've always known you to hate sitting still so I came in here and waited for a couple moments. You didn't seem to notice me so I brought you something you couldn't ignore." She giggled. I pulled a face and we both began laughing. There was a bookmark on the small table next to me so I placed it in the book before setting it down.


	21. Old Friends - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. A HUGE thank you to RudeandNotGinger9, fr33gangirl, and Rockout101 for your reviews! I love hearing what you think of the story. Before we get to the story I had a quick question for you all. What do you think about these smaller, non episode, stories? I sent out a couple messages asking opinions, but I want to ask everyone else as well. I can continue adding more or I can keep them to smaller ones every once in a while. Anyways, on to the story. The outfit for this is the same as last chapter Polyvore (/fathers_day/set?id=170741089) Enjoy and let me know what you think in a review.

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_Previously: "Thank you." I smiled at Rose and took a large swig from the glass. She sat on the couch and laughed at me. "What?"_

_"The Doctor said you've been in here for hours without moving. I've always known you to hate sitting still so I came in here and waited for a couple moments. You didn't seem to notice me so I brought you something you couldn't ignore." She giggled. I pulled a face and we both began laughing. There was a bookmark on the small table next to me so I placed it in the book before setting it down._

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"So, what are we doing today?" I questioned as we stood and started walking out of the library and to the kitchen so I could take care of my glass.

"The Doctor said we needed to stop for groceries." She explained. She picked up an apple before looking it over and putting it back in the bowl on the counter.

"Groceries?" I looked at her strangely. I had just cooked and everything had been fully stocked. I put away the now cleaned glass and went to look through the cupboards. They were far emptier than they had been only hours before. I moved to the refrigerator and checked it as well. It was rather empty other than the leftovers I had put away. "Where did everything go? I cooked something a couple hours ago and now everything is gone." I explained. Rose had started laughing so I turned to her. "What?" It took her a minute to calm her laughing.

"From what I got, the Doctor didn't want to be shown up by your cooking and decided to try and outdo you. Apparently it didn't go so well." She snickered. I sighed. Of course he would go through a months worth of groceries trying to cook.

"Alright, let's go find him so we can go grocery shopping." I walked out of the room and Rose followed. "Honestly, traveling in time and space and I never really thought about grocery shopping." She agreed and we walked into the console room. The Doctor was messing with some wires and hadn't noticed us come into the room. We went over to the jump seat and sat down, waiting to see how long it would take him to notice us. I got tired of waiting after several minutes. "So, Doctor, have a little difficulty in the kitchen?" I questioned. He jumped up and turned around to see us. Rose and I burst out laughing at the look of surprise on his face.

"It's a lot harder than I remember." He whined. We continued to giggle. "Oh shut it." He chuckled lightly.

"So, where are we going? And how are we paying for it? I had enough money for chips that one time but there's no way I can stock the Tardis with food." I pointed to him.

"No worries." There was a ding sound from the console and the Doctor walked over to a small box on it. He opened it and pulled out three plastic cards. "There we go." He handed one to Rose and one to me, putting the other in his pocket. It was a credit card. They had our names on them. Mine had Phoenix printed with no last name. I chuckled at this.

"Credit cards?" I laughed. "Dangerous things in her hands." I teased, pointing to Rose. She either hadn't been paying attention to me, or she just ignored my comment. I wasn't sure which. She was smiling and staring at the card in front of her.

"What's the limit on these things?" She asked. I started laughing at that. She turned a playful glare on me while I continued laughing. Leave it to Rose to want to know how much she could spend without maxing out a credit card.

"Not sure. Lets find out." The Doctor beamed and started piloting the Tardis. It was a much smoother ride than normal. It was a nice change. I wasn't ready for another rocky flight. When we landed, he walked over to us and offered an arm to each of us. We linked arms and walked out of the Tardis. She was parked just down an alley off of a main roadway.

"So, where are we?" Rose questioned, looking around. I joined her. There were mostly people mine and Rose's age walking around. There were also many cars driving about and they were driving on the other side of the road. Quite a few stores had displays centered around a school mascot. It looked like a stereotypical university campus from the American films I had watched. I could only assume we were near a campus.

"Are we in the states?" I asked. The Doctor looked around before turning to me and smiling.

"Yep. Michigan to be exact. Looks like we're near the state university. Feels like 2008." He beamed. We took our time getting a good look around before starting shopping. At first it was just shopping for fun things like clothes or little odds and ends. I spent a good hour looking through the book stores. Rose and the Doctor practically had to drag me away from them. When our arms were getting full of bags, we would bring them back to the Tardis. On our second trip back to the main street, I heard a familiar voice.

"Phoenix?" A girls voice called out. I quickly spun around. A few feet away was a girl about Rose's age staring at me. She had long blonde hair with a couple streaks of pink throughout it. Her bright blue eyes were what caught my attention though. They were so familiar. "Phoenix, it is you!" She beamed. I finally recognized her.

"Angie?" She smiled and ran up to hug me. "It's been ages. How are you doing?" I asked her.

"Really well. I listened to your advice. I went back and talked to my mum. We moved over here shortly after. I started going here a couple years ago. What brings you here?" She asked excitedly. I had almost forgotten about Rose and the Doctor until Rose cleared her throat. I turned to look at them, before turning back to Angie.

"Right, sorry, where are my manners? Angie, these are my very best friends the Doctor and Rose. Rose's mum took me in. Guys, this is Angie." I introduced them. Angie held out her hand for them to shake.

"Angie Wright. I met Phoenix when I ran away from home. She's the reason I'm here today. She was able to get through all that teen angst and convinced me to go back home and make up with my mum." She explained happily.

"Pleasure to meet you." The Doctor smiled. Angie turned back to me.

"Do you have a minute? I've got a while before my next class. We could go grab tea or something to eat." She suggested. I looked back to Rose and the Doctor. They were both watching us with a smile.

"You two go ahead and catch up. We can finish up the shopping. I'll phone you when we're done." He suggested. I looked at Rose. She smiled and grabbed my bags from me.

"Go on. I promise I'll try to keep him out of trouble." She teased. I chuckled when the Doctor pulled a face at the back of her head.

"Perfect. Come on, I know this lovely tea shop on the back side of the road." Angie linked arms with me. I waved at the others as we walked down an alley to the other side of the buildings. We continued walking for a couple blocks. "So, what are you doing all the way over here?" Angie continued.

"Oh, we're just traveling and decided to stop here. We needed a few things so we made a shopping day of it." I explained. We had come to a quieter part of the area. There was a small tea shop tucked between two closed shops. Angie led me in. It was rather quiet. There were only two other small groups of people sitting at tables. "This is lovely, a bit set back, but lovely. How did you know about this place?" I asked as we sat at a booth.

"Just stumbled upon it one day. This is my first time actually coming in. I was wandering around trying to explore and I saw this place. I felt weird coming in alone and most of my friends prefer coffee to tea. Still, it's nice to have a bit of home every once in a while." She seemed so delighted. I couldn't help but share that happiness. She had been in a dark place when I first met her. She was practically a kid when I had met her, only 12 years old. She had run away from home when her step-father had moved from just yelling to throwing things when he was angry. Her father had passed when she was 5. I had talked with her and convinced her to go back and talk to her mother about leaving the man for their safety. It seemed that her mother thankfully listened. Someone came up to us and took our orders before leaving us to our conversation.

"You look like you're doing wonderful here. I'm so glad." I was thrilled to see her happy and thriving.

"I really am. I've got a steady job, I'm going to graduate a year early, and I've even got a boyfriend." She giggled. "And look at you. Traveling with your boyfriend and your sister. Out seeing the world like you always said you would."

"He's. . . he's not my boyfriend." I tried to explain. It was getting a bit confusing as to why everyone always seemed to assume that we were together.

"Really? Him and your sister really don't seem like a couple and she told you she'd keep him out of trouble." She explained. I shook my head with a laugh.

"They're not a couple either. And well, he has a habit of getting himself into trouble. Why does everyone assume that we're a couple?" We both laughed and were brought our drinks. I took a sip of mine. There was something off tasting about it but I didn't want to be rude. "It's lovely, thank you." I thanked the waiter who was still standing at the table. He didn't answer, but nodded his head and walked off. I raised an eyebrow at his retreating form before turning back to Angie.

"So, do you have a bloke back home?" She pressed with a smile. She was a bit of a gossip when I had met her, but it was how we stayed fed. She would hear the whispers of others and lead us to the best places for food and rest.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm sticking with being single for now." I hadn't really thought about dating in quite some time. After Matt, I had sworn off dating. I was comfortable with being alone. Then we met the Doctor and the thought of dating someone never crossed my mind. We were constantly on the move and it was perfect for me. The thought of meeting someone, settling down, and living a normal life terrified me. I couldn't handle that monotony. I tried to explain that to Angie without mentioning traveling in time and space. I told her that we would just pick up and go wherever sounded interesting.

"Ah I see." She had a knowing smirk on her face. It matched the one Rose had been giving me quite frequently as of late.

"Not you too." I groaned. She tilted her head to the side, taking a sip of her drink. I sighed. "Rose gives me that same look. It's the 'so you fancy him but you're waiting for him to do something' look." I pouted. She started laughing. She quieted down some and I started feeling a bit off. I looked at her and she didn't look so well either. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Stomach isn't settling well. It's fine. It'll pass." She tried but I could see the look of worry on her face. I started feeling a bit cold and looked around. The shop was empty. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple bills and tossed them on the table before standing.

"We should get going." I tried. As I stood, I felt dizzy. I used the table to steady myself.

"Phoenix, what's happening?" Her voice was quiet and slightly slurred. I tried to speak but couldn't find the words as things started blurring. I saw two men come from behind the counter and walk over to us.

"Run." I tried to call out but collapsed into darkness.


	22. Old Friends - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. I've gotten a little feedback and I will try to continue adding these extra, non episode, chapters. They're fun to write but take a bit longer to put out since it's all coming from my (annoyingly overactive) mind. I hope no one is too OOC. Free invisible cookies to reviewers. Thanks again and I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

_Previously: "We should get going." I tried. As I stood, I felt dizzy. I used the table to steady myself._

_"Phoenix, what's happening?" Her voice was quiet and slightly slurred. I tried to speak but couldn't find the words as things started blurring. I saw two men come from behind the counter and walk over to us._

_"Run." I tried to call out but collapsed into darkness._

* * *

I started coming to when someone began to shake me frantically.

"Phoenix! Phoenix, wake up!" Angie was whispering as she shook me. I blinked a couple times, to clear my blurry eyes, before sitting up. We were in a dimly lit room, about the size of Jackie's living room. There was a set of bars separating us from the other half of the room and the only door out. The walls were cement and there weren't any windows. Angie and I were seated on a small cot against the back wall.

"Well, this is a lovely change of scenery." I frowned and stretched my aching arms. Whatever was in the tea had made me feel sluggish. My limbs felt stiff and heavy.

"It's a prison cell." Angie argued nervously.

"I was being sarcastic." I finally looked over at her. She was panicking and glancing around the room. I realized I had forgotten who I was with, and I was acting the way I did around Rose and the Doctor. They knew how to handle my sarcasm. Angie didn't. I also realized that normal people didn't end up in situations like the one we were in. "Sorry. I get like that when I get nervous." She finally stopped looking around the room and looked at me.

"What happened? We were drinking tea, then I started feeling ill. You got up to leave and next thing I know, we're in here." She was trying so hard not to cry but I could see the tears threatening to spill out any second.

"It's alright. We'll figure it out." I tried reassuring her but she didn't seem to believe me. Her eyes still held terror. I looked around and noticed a small camera in the corner of the room that I hadn't seen before. I wanted to tell her that the Doctor would hopefully come help, but decided against it. "We'll get out of here." I offered quietly. We both quickly turned when the door on the other side of the room opened. A cloaked figure moved into the room. Their face was covered by a hood and their head was tilted down.

"You will not escape." It was a male voice that came from underneath the cloak. He was slow and deliberate in the way he spoke. I stood up and blocked Angie with my body. She stood up behind me. I didn't know who this man was, but I knew I had to protect Angie from him. She was my responsibility. If I hadn't run into her, there was a chance she wouldn't have been in that situation. After all, she had mentioned she was too nervous to go into that tea shop alone.

"Right. And who says we won't get out of here? Who are you?" I questioned. Two other cloaked figures came and stood behind him. They were all the same height and roughly the same build. Despite me speaking, they all continued to look at the ground.

"We are the Harvesters. We have come to this planet to rid it of those that do not belong." The first one explained. I frowned at the word planet. He lifted his head to look at us. His face remained in shadow from the hood but his eyes were glowing orange. Angie shrieked backed up even more. She was breathing quickly. I wanted to comfort her but trying to get some kind of information seemed like a better idea. If I didn't comfort her, the worst that could happen would be her fainting. If I got information, I might be able to figure out a way to talk us out of there, however unlikely. It was still worth a shot.

"If you're here to rid the planet of those that don't belong, why did you take us?" I demanded. I couldn't show them, or Angie, my fear. They might use that fear to their advantage, and Angie needed someone to be strong for her. I prayed that I would find a way to get us out of there.

"You do not belong." The man spoke evenly. When he didn't elaborate, I got annoyed.

"Care to explain what you mean? I'm pretty sure we belong here, well not here in this cell, but here on this planet." I started rambling. The two others that had joined, turned and left just as quietly as they had entered. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a very, very bad sign. I was desperately hoping for it to be a good one.

"You do not belong. Angela Wright, meant to die June the 16th 1998 in Enfield, England. Saved by one Phoenix, no last name." I felt Angie grab my arm tightly. Her skin was cold and clammy. I quickly turned to her. She was white as a sheet. Her breathing had become quicker and more uneven. I moved to help her sit on the cot but she fainted in my arms. Thankfully her breathing evened out once she fainted. I quickly moved her onto the cot and resumed my position of guarding her.

"And me? Why am I here? For saving her?" I was furious at the implication that Angie was being targeted because they thought she should have died. 1998 was when I had met her. I had convinced her to go back to her mother in May of that year. I had made it to Cardiff in June.

"You do not belong. Phoenix, no last name, no record of birth. You do not exist. You should not exist." My heart started racing even more. He lowered his head and turned to leave.

"What do you mean I don't exist? I'm standing right here! I bloody exist!" I yelled at him. He didn't answer but continued out of the room. The door closed quietly behind him. When I was relatively sure he wasn't coming back, I turned around and started tending to Angie. I started fanning her with my hand, not having anything else to help. They had taken my purse when they brought us into the cell. Slowly, she started waking up. I helped her slowly sit up. "Take it slow. You'll be alright."

"What. . . what did he mean, I was meant to die? Who are they?" She wasn't hyperventilating anymore but she still looked terrified. Her eyes were wide and glossy. She was shaking ever so slightly. I was still bracing her, making sure she wouldn't faint again.

"I don't know why he said you were meant to die. You weren't. If you were, you wouldn't be here now. Don't dwell on that. As for who they are. . . they're. . . well, I think they're aliens." I said carefully. She looked from me to the closed door and back again.

"Aliens? Like. . . outer space aliens?" I watched her carefully.

"I think so, yeah." I pointed out the glowing eyes and the way they spoke of coming to this 'planet'. She watched me as I spoke. I could tell that she didn't want to believe me, but it was a bit hard to ignore everything. "Are you alright?" At first she nodded but then started shaking her head. I wrapped my arms around her and started rubbing her back like I did for Rose. It seemed to help after a couple minutes. At first she cried into my arms, but eventually calmed down and leaned back.

"Alright. Aliens. How do we get out of here?" She questioned, sounding a little better.

"First things first." I stood up and walked over to where the camera was on the wall. I looked up at it. From where I was, it couldn't see me. I was trying to figure out how to get at it when Angie walked over to me. She knelt down and offered her hands to lift me up. I smiled brightly at her and put one foot in her hands. She quickly lifted me and I grabbed the camera. When she let go of my foot, the force of me falling tore it from its wires. I quickly looked around, waiting for any sign of the figures returning. When no alarm sounded I smiled victoriously. "Wonderful! Now to get the door open." I frowned, realizing I didn't have anything with me. Anything that could have helped me, was in my bag somewhere else.

"Oh. I think I can help with that." She reached into her hair and pulled out a hair pin. "Old habits die hard." She smiled. I smiled and quickly took it and started working on the door to the cell we were in. Angie had always been the lock pick master but I had picked up on it and learned how to pick even harder locks. While we lived on the streets, she always had several pins in her hair. One time she had told me that she wanted to be prepared for anything. It was thanks to her teaching that I was able to get out of the handcuffs when I was arrested for shoplifting. I stood up when the lock clicked and the door slid open slightly. Once again, there wasn't any sign of an alarm. "Now what?" Angie whispered.

"Now we find our belongings and a way out. Before we go out, I have a few rules though." I turned to her. She raised an eyebrow at me. "I want you to stick to the shadows. Keep out of sight. If you see a way out, take it. If they catch me, don't let them find you. Your job is to get out. Got it?" I explained everything firmly. I wanted her to be safe. She must have realized I wasn't going to negotiate so she nodded her head in agreement. "Good. Lets go." I opened the door to the room and we quickly ran out into the hallway. It was just as dark, if not darker, than the room we had been in. The lights were few and far between. I felt along the wall with one hand to guide us. The other held onto Angie's to keep her close.

The first door we came to was on the side of the hallway we had been creeping down. There was a small window showing an empty room that resembled a break room. On the table sat mine and Angie's bags. I slowly opened the door. When I was sure it was truly empty, I pulled Angie in with me. She grabbed her purse and handed me mine. My mobile started ringing in one of the pockets. I searched the pockets before finding it and pulling it out. 'Rose calling' flashed on the screen. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?" I kept my voice quiet as Angie went to look out the window on the door.

"Phoenix! Where are you? We've been phoning for an hour!" The Doctor yelled. He sounded mad and relieved all at once.

"Sorry. Couldn't really get to my phone." I huffed, glancing at Angie. She nodded, letting me know we were still alone.

"Why are you whispering? Where are you?" I could hear the worry. I could almost picture the worry lines forming on his forehead.

"Not sure. We went for tea, tea was drugged, aliens kidnapped us saying we didn't belong, said they were Harvesters by the way, and now we're in some kind of prison type thing. Sorry I can't be more specific but we just broke out of the cell and are currently hiding in what looks like a break room." I grumbled.

"What tea shop?" He questioned.

"It's between two abandoned shops. Come to think of it, this might be one of those shops. Where are you?" I questioned. If he was nearby, he could help, otherwise, we were on our own.

"The school book shop. We were hoping that you just turned your phone volume off while reading." I rolled my eyes. Even if I had turned my volume off, I would still hear it vibrate. Plus, I would have let them know when I had gotten done with seeing Angie. I started thinking of where the school book shop was compared to the tea shop. Then I remembered seeing the tea shop when Angie and I passed the book shop.

"Ok. Stand in front of the shop, facing direct opposite of it. Are you there?" I directed him. He didn't answer for a minute. I heard him call for Rose to follow him. She was asking where I was but he didn't answer her.

"Yeah, facing away from the shop." He finally answered.

"Look to your left, about 45 degrees. See a pink awning down a long alleyway?" It was a couple blocks but the awning was bright and quite noticeable through the brick alley.

"Just a second. Yeah I see it. Stay where you are. We're on our way." Before I could tell him I wasn't going to just sit and wait to be rescued, he hung up. I quickly turned the volume off so it wouldn't ring at the worst possible time, and put it in my pocket.

"Was that your not boyfriend? Is he getting help?" Angie whispered as I walked over to the door. She looked hopeful and excited. The hallway was still clear when I glanced through the window. I looked back to her.

"He is the help. And he's on his way, but it'll be a couple minutes. That man seriously has a hero complex." I groaned. The sound of someone walking down the hall drew our attention back to the window. One of the cloaked figures was moving toward our door. I pulled Angie back and ran to a cupboard. I pushed her in and held a finger to my lips before closing the door. I moved to stand against the wall near the door, praying that the Harvester would keep their head down and not notice me straight away. I held my breath as they opened the door and started walking in. I looked next to me and saw a board. I quickly picked it up and hit them on the back of the head. They fell to the floor with a soft thud. I closed the door and began dragging the body over to a small pantry. "Angie, it's safe for now, come help me." I called out as quietly as I could. She came out of the cupboard and helped me put the body in the pantry before putting a chair under the doorknob to lock them in.

"Did you kill them?" She asked nervously as I made sure the chair would hold.

"No. I knocked them out with a board. Not sure how long they'll stay unconscious though. We need to get moving." I suggested. She nodded and we went back to the door. I picked up the board and we moved back into the hallway. Each door we passed, we checked for an exit. Six rooms in and all we had found were offices, a restroom, and a janitors closet. There had been no sign of the other two Harvesters.

The seventh door was another with a window. It was a room much like the one Angie and I had woken up in, a makeshift holding cell. One of the Harvesters was standing in front of a cage that held four other people. They were cowering away from the Harvester. I watched as the Harvester held out its arms. A slow stream of light came from one of the captives and went to the Harvester. They started getting paler with each second and fell to their knees. It was killing them. I ran in hurled the board at the Harvester's head. They crumpled to the ground. The people in the cell cried out and recoiled at the sudden movement. They were getting too loud for my comfort.

"Everyone hush! Angie, try to get that cell open. I need to figure out what to do with them." I pointed to the unconscious Harvester. The others had quieted down slightly when Angie went to work on the cell door, and I started looking around the room for something to hold the unconscious body. There were no closets but there was a small pile of telephone wires. I shrugged and grabbed some of the wires, pulling the body over to the bars of the far side of the cage. I starting to tie them to it when a young man came over and wordlessly started helping me. When we finished tying up the Harvester, Angie was pulling the door to the cell open. The others came out, and looked at us expectantly.

"Are we safe?" "Who are you?" "How do we get out of here?" They started speaking over one another. Their voices getting louder once again. I was worried that the third Harvester would hear them and come looking before we were ready for it.

"Hush!" I snapped. They all stopped talking and looked at me nervously. "First, I need you to answer a couple of my questions. First, how many of those things have you seen?" I asked. A young girl raised her hand. I nodded.

"Only ever seen 3 at a time. It's hard to tell them apart though. Not sure if it was the same 3." She offered. The others nodded in agreement.

"Good. Alright. Do you know if there are any other people being held here?" I questioned. They shook their heads and an older man stepped forward. He was a little taller than myself, with graying hair and glasses.

"I was the first one brought in. I own the tea shop and the buildings next to it. It was two weeks ago that those things came and took over my shop. We're in the building next door. There's no one else. We'd have heard them if there were others. The walls are thin in this building." He explained. I smiled at him, thankful for the helpful information.

"Perfect. What's your name?" I asked him.

"Gregory Nichols ma'am." He smiled back at me.

"Nice to meet you Greg, can I call you Greg?" He nodded. "Well, two of these things have been taken care of. There's still one somewhere around here. I've got two friends coming to help, but they're not going to know where we are. Since there is now six of us instead of two, moving through here will be a bit of a problem." I mused. It was difficult enough trying to get Angie and I around without making noise or being seen. With a crowd this size, it would be almost impossible. It was possible that there was only one Harvester left, but I knew nothing about them. For all I knew, just one could take all six of us out without blinking. I was trying to think of what to do next when my phone rang. Rose again. "Where are you?"

"At the tea shop. It's empty, have you figured out where you are?" The Doctor questioned. He seemed to have realized that I was going to try and figure out where I was.

"Just a second." I moved the phone away from my ear. "Greg, which building are we in?"

"The old office building, the one to the left of my shop. We're in the basement." I thanked him and put the phone back up to my ear.

"The office building to the left of the shop. Basement." The phone clicked from him hanging up. I looked at the others. They looked hopeful.

"Do you have help coming?" The young girl asked excitedly.

"Yeah. They'll be here in a minute. Until they get here, I want you all to go across the hall and into the room and wait. Block the door and keep quiet. I'll knock and let you know when it's safe to come out." I instructed.

"What about you?" Angie asked nervously. I shook my head.

"I need to find the other before he finds his friends. Plus, my not boyfriend might need some help." I teased, using her phrase for the Doctor. These people needed humor and comfort to keep themselves calm. I instructed the others to find some kind of weapon in the event that the last Harvester did get through to them. They agreed and we made our way to the door. I opened it and looked down each direction. It was still empty. I sprinted across the hallway and slowly opened the door. It was empty as well. I gave the others a signal and one by one, they quietly ran over to me and into the room. I reminded them not to open the door unless I told them it was safe or if the Doctor told them it was safe. Angie promised she would remember his voice and only answer if it was me or him. I waited for them to barricade the door before going off to look for the other Harvester.

I continued down the way Angie and I had been going but found it led to a dead end. There weren't stairs or a lift anywhere near. I huffed and rushed back in the direction of our first cell. As I neared the original cell, the door to the break room opened. Out stepped two Harvesters. I slammed the board into one of their heads sending it to the ground. I rounded on the other one but they caught the board and pulled it from my hands. They threw it behind them, well out of my reach.

"Well that's not fair." I huffed and started backing up slowly. I kept taking side glances to see if there was anything around me that I could use to defend myself but the hallway was empty. The Harvester slowly advanced on me.

"Where are the others?" They questioned. It was the same one that I had spoken with in our cell.

"Why would I tell you?" We had stopped walking and he was staring at me. His orange eyes piercing the darkness.

"Tell me where they are and I may spare your life." He offered.

"Oh hell no! I'd rather die protecting them than live knowing I let them get hurt!" I yelled at him. He tilted his head to the side in confusion before straightening back up. I realized what he was about to do. An unusual calm filled me as I stared at him. "Kill me all you like, but just know this, you will never get to them." I made a run for him, to knock him down, but stopped when he raised his arms. It was as if something was holding me in place. My body grew cold as wisps of white light came from my chest and started flowing toward the Harvester. I tried to struggle but my body was growing weaker with each second. When the draining feeling stopped abruptly, I fell to my knees using my hands to keep from fully collapsing. I looked up to see the Harvester crumpled to the ground. The Doctor was standing behind him with the board in his hand. Rose was behind him slightly. "Cut it a bit close didn't you?" I coughed. They both ran over to me. Rose engulfed me in a hug.

"Nix! Are you alright?" She cried. I felt sore but my strength was slowly returning.

"Peachy. Now, less worrying about me, more moving those two into a room with the other one." I groaned, pointing at the two unconscious Harvesters. Rose and the Doctor helped me stand slowly.

"What the hell were you thinking?" The Doctor demanded as I steadied myself using his arm. I glared at him.

"Oi! Yell at me when we're one hundred percent out of danger. There's three of these guys and a room with five people waiting for the all clear sign from me. Lets move." I grunted and went to grab one of the bodies. I started dragging it back to the cell with the other. Rose helped me move one, while the Doctor grabbed the other. We tied the other two up to the bars like I had with the first. The Doctor checked several of his pockets, before pulling out three pairs of black handcuffs and cuffing their hands behind their backs.

"What are these things?" Rose asked, looking at the Harvesters. The Doctor walked over to us. I was a little tired and out of breath from moving the bodies. Rose was holding one of my arms, making sure I wouldn't fall over. When the Doctor walked up to us, I straightened back up.

"They're Harvesters. Thought they were all gone, their species were supposed to have been destroyed several millennia ago. They were said to be the ultimate cleansers. If they felt someone didn't belong, say an alien refugee on a planet they didn't belong on, they would lure them off and drain them of their life force." He explained, looking at me carefully. It was as if he was checking me over for injuries without alerting Rose to his worry.

"Then why did they take Nix?" Rose questioned, not noticing the way the Doctor was watching me.

"I didn't ask. I was too focused on getting Angie and then the others somewhere safe." I quickly added. The Doctor was still watching me carefully. Rose had turned to look back at the Harvesters. I shook my head at the Doctor and mouthed the word 'later'. He frowned but nodded. "What are we going to do about them?" I asked.

"They're safe now. Those cuffs bind their abilities." He offered. Just then, one began to stir. We quickly looked over at them.

"We will not be stopped." It spoke softly. It was another male voice but different from the one I had spoken with. "We will finish this." A small alarm began to blare and the building began to shake.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. They let out a soft chuckle but didn't answer me.

"They're bringing the building down on top of us!" The Doctor cried, pulling me and Rose out of the room and toward the stairs. I pulled my hand from his grasp and ran back toward the other room. "What are you doing?" He called after me.

"Saving the others!" I ran up to the closed door and pounded on it. "Angie, it's me. You need to open the door quickly. The building is going to collapse!" I yelled through the door. There was the scraping of something being slid across the floor and the door opened. They all looked terrified. "Come on follow that man!" I pointed to the Doctor. He gave me a nod and started leading us out of the basement and outside. It was just after dark and the streets were rather empty. We all made it in front of the tea shop before the building to the left crumpled to the ground.

Greg had invited us all into his shop for something to drink and any food he had while the Doctor tried to explain things to them. He gave them a cover story for when the police showed up. They had all been drinking tea when the building collapsed. If anyone had noticed their absence from work or school, it was because they had a family emergency or were ill. When everyone was settled, we got ready to leave. Angie walked over to me as we made our way for the back door.

"Phoenix." She called softly. The Doctor nodded and led Rose out back to wait for me. "Thank you." She hugged me briefly.

"For what?" I was tired and slightly confused.

"For saving me twice." I started to protest, that the Doctor had technically saved us, and that I hadn't done anything before, but she stopped me. "We could hear you yelling at that thing. You were willing to die to protect us. As for the other time, I would have died if you hadn't convinced me to go home. I had been getting sick but tried to keep it a secret. When I got home my mum brought me to the doctor. It was meningitis and they just barely caught it in time. You saved me." I didn't know what to say so I simply hugged her. We let go and she smiled brightly at me. "Now go on. Go with your sister and your not boyfriend and enjoy your travels."

"I will. And you keep being your amazing self. I'm so proud of you." We said goodbye and I walked out to where the Doctor and Rose were waiting. The Tardis was parked in the back alley of the shop. I could hear sirens coming in the distance. Rose linked arms with me and we all walked into the Tardis. Once we were safely in the vortex, Rose started yawning. She excused herself to go to bed after making sure that I was alright. When she was out of sight I got up and started walking away as well.

"Where are you going?" The Doctor questioned.

"The garden. I want to be comfortable while I get lectured." I explained and continued walking to the garden. I watered my tree, it was growing quite quickly. It seemed to be an ordinary tree and I was somewhat grateful. I wouldn't know what to do if it had grown into a tree person. When I was done I sat in one of the hanging baskets and waited for the Doctor to join me. He came in and sat down, facing me.

"I'm not going to lecture you." He finally said, breaking the silence.

"That's a change from when you first saw me." I muttered.

"I was worried. Alright? You were being attacked because you hadn't stayed hidden." He huffed.

"I had my reasons." I sighed.

"Right then. Start from the beginning. What happened and what are you hiding from Rose?" I turned to look at the garden as I spoke. I explained how Angie and I had gone for tea, and what happened after drinking it. Then I started explaining what the Harvester had said about Angie was supposed to have died on the streets, adding what I had found out about her being ill. I explained how we had found the others while trying to find a way out, and how I had gotten them into a safe room while we waited for him and Rose to find us. Finally I moved on to what I had been told about myself.

"They said I didn't exist, that there wasn't a record of birth for me. I didn't want Rose to know that because she already worries enough. There's a lot I'm not telling her: my intuition, the dreams, what you found, or rather didn't find, while looking through my memories. They're all my problems, not hers and I don't want to put them on her. Honestly, if I had my way, you wouldn't have to know about them either because they're just more things for you to worry about. But I can't really bring myself to lie to you, even if I did, you'd figure it out." It was difficult putting everything into words.

"I promised you we would figure everything out, and Rose and I will help you through whatever it is." He offered softly. He really wanted to help me. It was a hard thing to accept. I didn't like the idea that I had to rely on someone else to figure out things I should know about myself. It made me feel useless.

"Can we just put that on the back burner for a bit? I really don't want to figure me out right now. I just want to relax, go on some adventures, and pretend that I'm a completely normal 24 year old." I huffed. It was more than just a little draining, trying to figure out why I was so strange and had such weird things happen to me. I just wanted to ignore my quirks for a while.

"Who travels in time and space with her sister and an alien?" He questioned lightly. I looked over to see him smiling. A smile spread on my face.

"Yes. A completely normal 24 year old who travels in time and space with her sister and an alien." We burst out laughing. "Alright I should have said normal ish." We continued laughing but I was interrupted by a yawn. I hadn't noticed how tired I had gotten. First running on adrenaline while trying to escape, then getting some of my life force drained by the Harvester, and now the excitement and adrenaline were wearing off.

"You should get some rest. You'll need a little more than usual to build back your energy. Don't worry though, you won't have any ill effects from the Harvester attack. You can sleep it off." He offered. With another yawn I stood to leave. We said goodnight and I made my way to the door.

"Oh, and Phoenix, I'm proud of you. You kept calm and kept those others safe. A little stupid, trying to sacrifice yourself to protect them, but still, you did good. No matter what we figure out in time, you're a good person." I stopped and looked back at him. The gentleness in his voice surprised me slightly. I smiled at him.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me. And Doctor, you're a good person too. You don't seem to realize that sometimes, but you are." I turned and walked out of the room and found my way back to my room. I kicked off my shoes and crawled under the covers, not bothering to change.


	23. Father's Day - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you RudeandNotGinger92 for your review! Free invisible cookies for you! I absolutely LOVE hearing from you all. This episode was another difficult one for me to write. Again, I hope characters aren't too OOC. The outfit for this chapter is on Polyvore (/fathers_day/set?id=172642000) As always, I hope you enjoy and please leave a review letting me know what you think.

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_Previously: "Oh, and Phoenix, I'm proud of you. You kept calm and kept those others safe. A little stupid, trying to sacrifice yourself to protect them, but still, you did good. No matter what we figure out in time, you're a good person." I stopped and looked back at him. The gentleness in his voice surprised me slightly. I smiled at him._

_"Thanks, that means a lot to me. And Doctor, you're a good person too. You don't seem to realize that sometimes, but you are." I turned and walked out of the room and found my way back to my room. I kicked off my shoes and crawled under the covers, not bothering to change._

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The next week or so went in a bit of a blur. After the encounter with the Harvesters, the Doctor decided we needed a bit of calm for a while. When I went to bed that night, I ended up sleeping for the next 27 hours. The Doctor assured me it was completely normal and that I wouldn't have any lasting effects. The next couple days were spent with Rose, going on our own little adventures through the Tardis, discovering new rooms. After a couple days though, it was obvious that we were all getting a bit restless and needed to get out a bit.

I woke up feeling a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't a feeling of unease. I just felt fidgety. I got cleaned up and tossed on the first outfit I saw. Dark flare jeans, black tank top, gray lace top, and converse. I grabbed a black sweatshirt as I made my way to the console room. The Doctor was sitting on the jump seat playing with some kind of ball. I walked over and leaned against the railing behind the jump seat as Rose stood in front of the Doctor.

"I was wondering if we could go somewhere specific? Like if I wanted to see a specific person, could we do that?" Rose questioned. Her voice was quieter than usual. I watched her curiously. She was a bit fidgety and wasn't looking either me or the Doctor in the eye.

"Who do you want to see?" He asked, still rolling the ball around in his hands. I shifted uncomfortably. Her nervousness worried me. I hadn't seen her nervous like that before.

"Peter Alan Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th September 1954. That's what Mum always says. So I was thinking, could we, could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?" Rose asked. My stomach sank. I knew she wanted to see him, but I was worried about it. I was worried that seeing him would do more harm than good.

"Where's this come from, all of a sudden?" The Doctor questioned her. Thinking I had no place to say anything, I sat back and watched the two talk.

"All right then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of time or something, then never mind, just leave it." She said sadly, looking away. I frowned, knowing well enough that the Doctor would feel bad and want to help. I had the feeling that Rose knew this as well.

"No, I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you." He offered.

"So am I." I finally spoke up. She looked at me as I tried figuring out if it would actually help her to see him. She walked over and put a hand on my shoulder in a gesture to reassure me.

"I just want to see him. I'll be alright." She tried to comfort me. It didn't help near as much as she had hoped. It only made me worry more. She wasn't acting like herself. She looked back to the Doctor.

"Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for." He replied as he got up from the seat started messing with the controls. I groaned at his choice of words.

"Doctor, just once can we avoid one of the phrases from the list of things to never say? Please? Just once." I muttered. He shook his head with a soft smile and continued to pilot the Tardis. I held on tight as he asked what date Rose wanted to go to. When we landed, She led us outside. We were at the Registers office. We made our way inside where Jackie and Pete were getting married. We sat in the very back of the room and watched them. Rose sat in between me and the Doctor. It was strange seeing Jackie so young. I recognized Pete from photos Jackie had shown me a few times.

"I, Peter Allan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentice" The registrar stated.

"I, Peter Allan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita" Pete said nervously.

"Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di." Jackie huffed. I chuckled at that. She was always a mouthy woman. The Doctor seemed amused as well. He was smiling and holding in a chuckle of his own.

"I thought he'd be taller." Rose mused sadly. I put my hand on her arm in support. She didn't look at me, she simply placed her hand over mine and gave it a gentle squeeze as a form of thanks. I had been around her enough to know when she needed words of encouragement and when she simply needed to know someone was there for her.

When the service was over, we made our way back to the Tardis. Rose didn't seem content with just watching the wedding. She began to talk about how he died. He had been attending a friends wedding. He was running late because he had forgotten the wedding present. He was getting ready to cross the road when he was hit by another car that simply drove off after. He passed away without anyone with him. She explained how Jackie had always said how she wished someone could have been there for him.

"I want to be that someone, so he doesn't die alone." She explained as she finished her story. The Doctor was watching her carefully. I felt uneasy. I wanted to stop them, but it wasn't my call. I didn't want Rose to be upset with me, but I was still concerned with how seeing it actually happen would affect her.

"Rose, are you sure?" I didn't know what to say to stop her but I wanted her to at least think about it.

"Yes. You wouldn't understand. You don't remember your parents. I need to be there for him." At first she sounded angry but it changed into sadness. I threw my hands up in defense and went to sit down, away from the two of them. The Doctor glanced at me so I shrugged. She wasn't willing to listen to me and her attitude was slightly upsetting. He turned back to Rose.

"November the 7th?" He asked.

"1987." She nodded. He adjusted the date and flipped a switch. The time rotor began to rise and fall. It was a rather smooth run. When we stopped, there was a silence that hung in the air. Rose slowly made her way to the door. The Doctor and I followed after her. I recognized the area when we stepped outside. We were parked on Waterley Street, next to the park fence. There was a chill to the air and a slight breeze. I was thankful for my sweater and pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"It's so weird. The day my father died. I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day." She looked around us. I moved to stand next to her and put my hand on her shoulder but decided against it. She was still in a bit of a mood so I stood off to the side.

"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight. Are you sure about this?" He looked down at her. He looked almost as worried as I felt. I couldn't understand. If he was worried, why was he letting her go through this?

"Yeah." Rose answered quickly. She started walking, leaving me and the Doctor to follow. As we walked past a row of buildings, I took notice of some posters covering the wall. There were political fliers, a concert advert, and a smiley face sun with the date of some kind of event. On one of those, there was Bad Wolf scrawled across the face. The one below it had Caged Bird in the same handwriting. I frowned at them. There was something about those words that were familiar but I couldn't think of what. I must have gotten a bit behind because the Doctor came up to me and grabbed my hand.

"Everything alright?" He questioned as he pulled me around the corner to where Rose was waiting.

"Yeah. Sorry. Got distracted." I mused. When we caught up with Rose, he let my hand go so that we could stand on either side of her.

"This is it. Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase." A green car came around the corner and pulled into a parking spot. Pete was the man driving the car. "He got out of his car, and crossed the road. Oh, God. This is it." Pete got out of the car. The Doctor and I each grabbed one of her hands. She squeezed mine tightly. A beige car rounded the corner going quite fast. The driver shielded his face before hitting Pete. Rose hid her face behind the Doctor's shoulder. When the car was gone, Rose looked back to Pete.

"Go to him, quick." The Doctor urged her gently. She simply froze looking at him. I let go of her hand and wrapped my arms around her. She turned and hugged me tightly. I looked at the Doctor who gestured for me to bring her around the corner. I nodded and led her around the corner. She slumped against the wall and sat on the ground. I put an arm around her as she cried. The Doctor came and sat on the other side of her. We sat in silence as she silently cried. The sound of sirens slowly came closer.

"It's too late now. By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." She said sadly, looking at the ground. She paused before looking at the Doctor. "He can't die on his own. Can I try again?" He looked at her then me. I knew that her pleading would wear him down no matter what I said so I simply frowned. He sighed and stood up. He offered a hand to each of us to help us up. We went back to the Tardis and went back again. We were careful and tried to stay back. We made it to the corner and looked around it slowly.

"Right, that's the first us. It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time. Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till they walk off and he follows, then go to your dad." The Doctor instructed her. We saw Pete pull up to the curb once again.

"Oh, God. This is it." The first Rose cried.

"I can't do this." She whispered.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." I reassured her. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"But this is the last time we can be here." He added. She didn't say anything, just kept watching things unfold. But suddenly, as Pete was getting out of his car, she rushed forward. I tried to grab her arm but missed. "Rose! No!" The Doctor yelled after her. She ran past the other versions of us and pulled Pete out of the path of the oncoming car. My heart sank. This wasn't supposed to happen. She just wanted to be there for him when he died. Was this her plan all along? The other version of us vanished with looks of confusion on their faces.

"Oh God Rose, what have you done?" I breathed, not believing what was happening. Rose and Pete stood up and she started talking with him. I turned to the Doctor. He looked furious. "Doctor?" I asked cautiously. He didn't look at me, instead he continued to glare at Rose. This was not good. "Doctor please say something." I begged him. He ignored me again. I turned when I heard Rose asking about the wedding.

"Yeah, are you going?" Pete asked her with a smile on his face.

"Yeah." She replied happily.

"Do you, your friend and her boyfriend need a lift?" He questioned, taking a glance back at the Doctor and I. We looked back at him in silence. When we didn't answer, he looked back to Rose.

"Thanks." She said excitedly. Pete started walking to the flat with Rose. The Doctor and I followed. The Doctor seemed on edge so I decided not to press my luck with trying to talk to him. It was a rather quiet and tense walk.

"Right, there we go. Sorry about the mess." Pete apologized as he let us into the flat. "If you want a cup of tea, the kitchens just down there, milk's in the fridge. Well, it would be, wouldn't it. Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down. Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change." He walked past us and went into the bedroom to change. Rose hadn't noticed the change with the Doctor. She began to walk around the flat in a state of awe.

"All the stuff mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink. Here it is, on display. Where it should be." She picked up a small trophy to look at it. "Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." She explained and looked over at us. When we didn't say anything she moved on to containers of liquid. "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever. Solar power." She pointed out some blueprints on the table. "Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can." She finally looked over and took notice of the Doctor's changed demeanor. I was watching the two of them carefully. She had done something very stupid, which obviously wasn't supposed to happen, and the Doctor was fuming about it. I was upset with Rose but nowhere near as upset as the Doctor. "Okay, look I'll tell him you're not a couple." She tried. I rolled my eyes at her in exasperation.

"You think that's what's wrong? Of all things, you think us being called a couple is the worst that happened?" I huffed. She frowned at my snappy attitude.

"Did you know she was going to do this?" The Doctor was looking at me. I was shocked and offended. When she had first suggested coming here, I was trying to stop her.

"Of course not! I tried to stop us from coming here but no one ever listens to me! Besides, how would I know what she was going to do?" I snapped back at him. He looked back to Rose.

"When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine." He stated. I suddenly understood why he thought I would know that this would happen. I had told him to go back and tell her he traveled in time as well. I was the reason she had come with.

"It wasn't some big plan. I just saw it happening and I thought, 'I can stop it'." She tried to defend her actions. The Doctor wasn't having any of it though.

"I did it again. I picked another stupid ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you." His chuckle was dark and humorless. This wasn't an anger that I had seen from him. This was betrayal. I began to worry where the conversation was going when Rose started arguing with him.

"So it's okay when _you_ go to other times, and _you_ save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad." She scoffed at him.

"I know what I'm doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point." He snapped back at her.

"But he's alive!" She wasn't understanding what he meant or why he was so upset. She had seen her opportunity and had taken it, not thinking about the things it could change. My heart started beating harder. I didn't know how to calm either of them down.

"My entire planet died! My whole family! Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" I felt the pain in his words echo through me. Then I realized, that's why he let her come here, despite the concern. He wanted to give her the opportunity to be there for Pete the way he couldn't have been there for his family. It only upset me even more knowing she had messed up the chance the Doctor had given her.

"But it's not like I've changed history. Not much. I mean he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War Three or anything." She continued, still not understanding why it was so wrong.

"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive." He walked closer to her, trying desperately to get his point across.

"What, would you rather him dead?" She still wasn't listening. Seeing that neither one was going to budge, I decided to try and step in to be a voice of reason. She usually listened to me, and she had said that the Doctor listened to me better. I prayed that I could at least calm them down slightly.

"He's not saying that! But Rose, we don't know what things could have changed. A small ripple can become a tidal wave of change." I tried to get her to see why he was so upset but she wasn't listening. She believed what she believed and there wasn't a thing I could say to explain it to her.

"No, I get it! For once, _he's_ not the most important man in my life. And _you're_ just jealous because you didn't have good parents. I mean they had to be awful for you to run away and block them out completely!" She yelled at me. There was a part of me that knew she was just lashing out because she was scared, but that didn't make her comments hurt any less. I couldn't be around her anymore so I turned and quickly walked out of the flat, away from them. As the door closed behind me, the Doctor demanded to have the Tardis key back from Rose. I made it to the bottom of the stairs when I heard the door open once again. I could hear Rose yelling. "You don't scare me. I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute, or you'll hang around outside the Tardis waiting for me. And I'll make you wait a long time! You wouldn't leave Nix and she wouldn't let you leave me!" She yelled as the door slammed closed. I started walking with no particular direction in mind. A deep worry set in. If he had threatened to leave Rose here, what was I going to do? He made it clear that he believed I knew of her intentions. If he was angry enough to leave her behind, would he even think twice about leaving me as well?

I continued walking as my fears began to snowball. If he did leave us, what would we do? Rose would want to be around her parents but how would she explain herself? Wouldn't there be a problem with two of her existing at the same time? If somehow she was able to work something out, where would I go? I had no place with them. I had lived on the streets before, I could probably manage again. The panic in my chest began to rise. As my breathing became more shallow, I could feel my left hand going numb. I started wringing it, trying to get the feeling back. A couple minutes later, while trying to calm my breathing, the Doctor caught up with me and began walking next to me. I continued to stare in front of me, not saying anything, worried about what he might say. He finally broke the silence after a couple streets.

"Where are you off to?" The anger was gone from his voice. He sounded genuinely curious as to where I was walking to. It wasn't what I was expecting from him. He had just threatened to leave Rose behind. Why wasn't he yelling at me?

"I have no idea." I admitted. My breathing had evened out slightly but my hand was still numb. I continued rubbing it, hoping that the tingling would stop. "I just figured that you were leaving us here, so I might as well figure out where I'm going to go." He walked in front of me and stopped. I stopped before I ran into him and looked up at him. Guilt was written all over his face, though I didn't understand why.

"I'm not leaving you here. . . I'm not leaving either of you here." He sighed. "I just want her to realize how dangerous it is to do something like that. I explained it to you and you understood just fine. You were worried about the consequences and you were worried about doing the right thing. Her choice was simply selfish." The anger returned slightly. He was clearly upset about what happened. I began to wonder what could have changed that upset him so.

"Rose has always been strong willed. I mean, she is Jackie's daughter. And realize that you never really explained the whole 'some things have to happen' concept to her. I function on instinct, she functions on emotions. I'm not saying what she did was right. By your reaction and by my gut feeling, I know she did something wrong. Just try to remember, she's, we're human." I corrected myself with a frown. "We know nothing about time lines and changing events. We screw up, a lot. I guess what I'm trying to say is, just try to talk to her." I rambled, turning to look around us. A chill went up my spine. Something in the air felt, wrong.

"I doubt she'd hear anything from me right now." He huffed.

"Just give her some time. She'll feel awful in a little while. I don't think she can stay mad at you." I offered. Things were just too quiet. I couldn't have known exactly how it should have sounded, but there should have been more noise around us. When he didn't say anything, I turned my attention back to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked carefully. He was watching me intently.

"What do you mean?"

"You said your gut told you what Rose did was wrong, now you're looking around with your worried face." He gestured to my face. I was confused but realized I had scrunched up my forehead and was frowning. I didn't even realize it.

"I don't really know." I shook my head, trying to clear the worry but it didn't work. "There's just, something. It's in the air. It feels . . . wrong." I paused. The Doctor looked around as well. A dull throbbing began in my head.

"Let's go to the Tardis and figure it out." He suggested. I nodded and we began our journey back to the Tardis. As we continued walking, the pain in my head continued to grow. It was getting harder to ignore. We finally made it up to the Tardis, but when the Doctor went to unlock her the door opened to an actual police call box. He walked inside and pressed on the walls. They were ordinary wooden walls.

"What happened?" The panic within me grew.

"Rose!" He cried and took off running back toward the flat.

"This way!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of the church that the wedding was at. "She'll have gone to the wedding. What happened to the Tardis? Is she alright?" The pain subsided as the adrenaline kicked in.

"This is what happens when you change something that shouldn't have been changed!" He yelled as we continued running. We rounded the corner to where the church was. Rose was standing a bit away from the bridal party, watching them. "Rose!" He yelled out. She turned around with a smug smile. "Get in the church!" Her smile quickly faded when she saw the looks on our faces. I looked over as a creature appeared in the sky. It was black with wings and talons. It made me think of a gargoyle, only twisted and more ominous. It started hissing and moved toward Rose. The Doctor and I pushed forward as Rose just stood there screaming. I rushed up to her and tried to pull her away but she wasn't moving. Luckily the Doctor ran into us and pulled us to the ground before the creature could get to us. "Get in the church!" He demanded as he stood. I helped Rose up, checking her over for injury. She shook me off and followed the Doctor as he ran toward the steps to the church. The others had begun running in. Two more creatures appeared near the roof.

"Oh, my God. What are they? What are they?" One woman cried out. I groaned as they stopped to look at the creatures.

"How about we get inside? Yeah? Sound like a good idea? Move!" I demanded. No one moved and one of the creatures came closer. It blocked our path to the entrance.

"Sarah!" The groom, Stuart, tried coming out to where we were. Several others stood around him.

"Stay in there!" The Doctor ordered him, holding up his hand. When he stopped, the creature turned to look at the other group. A man next to Stuart decided to try and run away from the group. The creature quickly landed on him. A golden light shown through the creatures skin as it attacked the man. The bride, Sarah, started trying to run to the church but the other creature blocked her path. She let out an ear splitting scream and the creature flew away from her, attacking the vicar instead. Other creatures started appearing around us.

"Inside! Let's go!" I called out. Thankfully this time people listened to me. The Doctor helped everybody get inside quickly before closing the large wooden doors. People were running around, talking loudly. The room was in a panic. I looked over to the windows and saw the shadow of one of the creatures flying by.

"They can't get in. Old windows and doors. Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" The Doctor mused, speaking with no one in particular. He looked at the people standing around. The sound of one of the creatures screeching caught his attention. "Go and check the other doors! Move!" He ran off to check a door. A woman I quickly recognized as Jackie started following him. I joined them while others went to check things on the opposite side of the church.

"What's happening? What are they? What are they?" She demanded, pulling on his arm when he didn't answer her.

"There's been an accident in time. A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage." He explained as he walked over to the door I was checking. I had stopped for a moment. The pain in my head had started creeping back as the adrenaline from running wore off.

"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" Jackie's voice was starting to grate on my nerves. I cared about her and all, but her arguing could get to be a bit too much at times.

"Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining." He groaned. I elbowed him in the side. He looked at me and I gave a half hearted glare to which he rolled his eyes. If things had been going differently, I would have called him out on his rudeness. As it was, I didn't have the energy to argue with him.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded. There was a hint of fear in her voice at the realization that a stranger had known her name.

"How about we deal with that later? We haven't really got the time for this conversation right now." I groaned.

"And who are you?" She snapped at me before turning back to yell at the Doctor. "I've never met you in my life!"

"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors." He pointed off to another set of doors in the front of the church. His voice was stern and demanding.

"Yes, sir." She muttered before storming off.

"I should have done that ages ago." He beamed before looking over at me. I had to put my head in my hands to block out the light. The headache had come on full force. It was taking all my energy to keep from falling to the ground and crying from the building pain and pressure. He grabbed my arm to help steady me. "What is it?" He asked quietly, before helping me to sit in the back pew.

"It's nothing. Don't worry. Just figure out what we need to do." I tried to ignore the pain as he watched me carefully. I knew I needed my medicine but I was worried that one pill wouldn't be enough to help and two would surely make me useless. Luckily Stuart came up to us, giving us a slight distraction.

"My dad was out there." He started. His father had been the man who had tried to run off. I felt so bad for him. The sadness filled his voice but he seemed to be trying to do something other than panic like some of the others.

"You can mourn him later. Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive." The Doctor quickly replied, still not looking away from me. I narrowed my eyes at him. It was frustrating having him focus on me when we were in danger. He needed to be focusing on a way to fix things, not fussing over me because of a stupid headache.

"My dad had-" Stuart tried to say something but the Doctor interrupted him.

"There's nothing I can do for him." He wasn't really listening to what Stuart was trying to say. I looked over to see Stuart holding an old brick sized phone. I realized he was trying to offer the Doctor the phone.

"Doctor!" I pushed. I pointed over to Stuart. He finally looked over at Stuart, who gave me a nod of thanks and held up the phone.

"My dad, he had this phone thing. I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice." He explained. The Doctor took the phone and listened to it. He handed it to me so that I could listen as well. There was a bit of static, but a male voice still came through clearly.

"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you." It repeated over and over, on an endless loop of sorts. I gave the phone back to the Doctor. There was something familiar about it, like I should have known something about it.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"That's the very first phone call. Alexander Graham Bell." The Doctor answered. He was slightly excited but a realization dawned on him. He turned back to Stuart, handing him the phone. "I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."

"But someone must have called the police." Stuart tried to reason. The Doctor turned to face the others. I looked up to see him staring at Rose. He slowly made his way to her. Some of the others were watching him as he walked and spoke.

"Police can't help you now. No one can. Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound. By consuming everything inside." He explained slowly. Rose looked worried and slightly frightened when the Doctor stopped in front of her.

"Is this because. . . is this my fault?" She finally asked. There was a long pause before he walked away from her, not answering her question. He walked off and through a doorway. Pete got up and followed him. Deciding I was no good in the state I was in, I reached into my purse and pulled out my medicine and a bottle of water. I was surprised to find the water. The Tardis must have put it in there for me, I reasoned. I quickly downed one of the pills and put both things back into my bag. I looked around at the others. Some were checking and re-checking doors. Others were huddled in tiny groups. Rose looked lost but I couldn't bring myself to talk to her just yet. The medicine started slowly working, easing the pain little by little, so when the Doctor came out of the room he had been in, I went to help him.

"Better?" He asked as he pulled a curtain back and ran his sonic along a door.

"Getting there." I sighed. "What now?" Before he could reply, Stuart and Sarah walked up to us.

"Excuse me, Mister-" Stuart started, not knowing what to call the Doctor.

"Doctor." He replied, not looking back at them. Stuart turned to me.

"Phoenix." I gave a slight wave. Sarah gave a soft smile, which I returned.

"You seem to know what's going on." Stuart turned his attention back to the Doctor who was continuing to check the door.

"I give that impression, yeah." He remarked. I rolled my eyes at him. Even in times like this, he had quite an ego. Still, I was too tired, and there was no use in arguing with him.

"I just wanted to ask-" Stuart started, not really having the words.

"Can you save us?" Sarah finished for him. The Doctor finally looked over at them. He handed me his sonic and walked over to the couple. I smiled and started working on the door, finding it surprisingly easy to know what to do. It was another thing that was slightly disconcerting. The Doctor had never told me how to use it, yet I seemed to just know. Maybe it was easier to use than I gave it credit, and I was just worrying about nothing. Either way, the Doctor seemed to assume that I would know what to do with it.

"Who are you two, then?" He asked when he walked up to them.

"Stuart Hoskins."

"Sarah Clark."

"And one extra. Boy or girl?" The Doctor questioned.

"I don't know. I don't want to know, really." Sarah explained as she rubbed her stomach fondly. I looked over to watch them. The way they looked at each other warmed my heart. The love they held for each other was striking. Despite everything happening around them, the look of worry and fear would disappear, if even for just a moment, when they looked at each other.

"How did all this get started?" The Doctor asked. I finished with the door and walked over to lean on the doorway while they explained their story. I handed the Doctor his screwdriver which he accepted without a word.

"Outside the Beatbox Club, two in the morning." Stuart smiled at his bride-to-be.

"Street corner. I'd lost my purse, didn't have money for a taxi."

"I took her home."

"Then what? Asked her for a date?" The Doctor asked. I chuckled softly.

"Wrote his number on the back of my hand." Sara beamed, looking down at her hand.

"Never got rid of her since. My dad said. . ." Stuart stopped with a sad look on his face. Sarah looked at him with tears in her eyes. She grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I don't know what this is all about, and I know we're not important-" She started to say.

"Who said you're not important?" I looked over at the Doctor when he said this. His kindness still surprised me slightly. I watched him as he talked. "I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two. Street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that. Yes. I'll try and save you." He beamed. Sarah gave him a thankful smile, despite the tears threatening to fall. Stuart thanked the Doctor before leading Sarah off somewhere to sit.


	24. Father's Day - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. I hope you're all enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think, and any suggestions, in a review. I get so excited hearing from you all. The more reviews I get, the faster I try to get another chapter out to you all. Thank you so much to TimeladyAlly, RudeandNotGinger92, and SlytherinHolmes for your wonderful reviews! I also want to thank all of you that have followed this story and added it as a favorite. It truly means a lot that you are enjoying this enough to do so! As always, I hope you enjoy. :-)

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_Previously: "I don't know what this is all about, and I know we're not important-" She started to say._

_"Who said you're not important?" I looked over at the Doctor when he said this. His kindness still surprised me slightly. I watched him as he talked. "I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two. Street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that. Yes. I'll try and save you." He beamed. Sarah gave him a thankful smile, despite the tears threatening to fall. Stuart thanked the Doctor before leading Sarah off somewhere to sit._

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The Doctor and I decided to sit down for a minute so he could think. We were sitting in silence when Jackie walked up to us. She was holding a carrycot with baby Rose inside. I looked up at her when she stopped in front of us. I nudged the Doctor who looked up from his hands to me. I gestured over to Jackie.

"You two seem like you know what you're doing. At the very least, you seem to know how to stay safe. Can I trust you with my daughter while I take care of a couple things?" She asked carefully. It was a side of Jackie I had never seen. The Doctor stared at her in awe. I tried to keep from rolling my eyes at him so I held out my hands to take the carrycot from her.

"I promise we'll look after her. She'll be safe." I assured her. She thanked me before walking off after a very young Mickey who was a bit panicked. "That boy will never change." I muttered before turning to baby Rose. She was a bit fussy without her mother nearby. "Hello sweetie." I cooed at her before tickling her feet. She smiled and started giggling. "That's better."

"You're pretty good with kids." The Doctor chuckled. I smiled but kept playing with baby Rose.

"I helped my sister with her kids." I said softly, tickling baby Rose again. After a minute of silence, I realized what I had said. I sat back and ran my hands through my hair. It was infuriating being able to answer things so easily but not know why I said them. No memories came back with these answers. The Doctor put his hand on my shoulder for comfort before taking over entertaining baby Rose. He was quite good with her as well. She wasn't giggling as much, but she wasn't fussing either. I wanted to mention how good he was with kids as well, but decided against it. I had decided not to bring up the topic of family after his outburst with Rose earlier in the day.

"Now, Rose you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you? Are you?" He cooed at her. She had stopped giggling and was just watching him wide eyed. I shook my head at him. That's when Rose walked up to us. She didn't say anything at first, simply looked at her baby self. "Jackie gave her to me to look after. How times change." He chuckled softly.

"_Us_. She was talking more to me since you were staring at her slack jawed." I tutted. He shook his head with a chuckle.

"I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken." Rose joked. She laughed and moved in to touch the baby. The doctor quickly pulled her arm away.

"No. Don't touch the baby." He chastised her. A creature flew past the large stained glass in the front of the church. "You're both the same person. That's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in." He explained darkly. I took over entertaining baby Rose. Her little face was scrunched up so I started making faces at her. She finally started smiling again.

"Can't do anything right, can I?" Rose muttered.

"Since you ask, no. So, don't . . . touch . . . the baby." He enunciated.

"I'm not _stupid_." She snapped.

"You could have fooled me."

"Will you two shut up!" I had had enough of their back and forth. I had kept my voice low enough not to upset baby Rose who was getting a bit fussy. "If you two want to do this, do it somewhere else. Others can hear you and your little bickering match isn't helping anything!" They both looked at me wide eyed. I hadn't snapped at them like that in quite a while. Rose looked away and the Doctor looked back at baby Rose.

"All right, I'm sorry." The Doctor managed. Rose looked back at him. "I wasn't really going to leave you on your own."

"I know." She said quickly. I glared at her and she shrunk back a little.

"But just between us, I haven't got a plan. No idea. No way out." He looked so defeated. I put my hand on his shoulder. His hand came up and covered mine.

"You'll think of something." Rose tried.

"Just take a breath. You'll figure things out. I know you will." I added. He looked from Rose to me before glancing at the others. He turned back to us and lowered his voice.

"The entire Earth's been sterilized. This, and other place like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them. There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. My people would have stopped this. But they're all gone. And now I'm going the same way." The fear in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"No you're not." I tried to reassure him but nothing seemed to help. I sighed and took my hand from his shoulder. Baby Rose reached out and grabbed one of my fingers. I smiled at her softly.

"If I'd realized. . ." Rose trailed off. The Doctor looked at her but she didn't say anything more.

"Just . . . tell me you're sorry." He finally told her.

"I am. I'm sorry." There was a pause before the Doctor continued talking.

"Isn't there something else?" He asked. I was confused but continued to entertain baby Rose. I had taken my Tardis key necklace off and was dangling it in front of her. She was watching it carefully. They had a hushed conversation that I couldn't hear and didn't bother to try to hear. It was their business.

"Nix." Rose said quietly. I set the key on the railing and looked at her. She was looking down at the ground.

"Yes?" I asked. She slowly looked up at me.

"I'm sorry. For everything I said today. I didn't mean any of it. Really. I just. . . you know me. I lash out when I'm upset. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Forgive me?" She looked guilty and hopeful at the same time. My anger crumbled. I could never stay mad at her. I sighed and walked over to her.

"You are an idiot sometimes, just so you know, but I can never stay mad." She smiled and we hugged each other.

"Much better." The Doctor beamed. We laughed and let go of each other. Rose went over and hugged the Doctor next. She pulled back suddenly.

"Have you got something hot?" She asked. He looked confused. She reached into his coat and into a pocket. Her hand snapped back and something came flying out. We looked over when it landed.

"It's the Tardis key!" The Doctor took off his coat and went over to it, picking it up. It was glowing with a golden light. I looked over at mine and it was glowing as well. I was thankful that I had taken it off to occupy baby Rose. I picked it up by the chain and showed the Doctor. "It's telling me it's still connected to the Tardis." He went to go make an announcement at the front of the church. Rose moved to an empty row near the back. I continued to sit with baby Rose until Jackie came up to me.

"Thanks for watching her." She offered kindly. I handed her the carrycot. "She's not fussing. That's a first." She chuckled. I smiled. "You're so young, how're you so good with her?"

"It seems to be what I spend most of my time doing, looking after others." I explained. She thanked me again and went up to where her friend was sitting. I moved to sit next to Rose but Pete was sitting with her. I decided to give them a bit of space so I sat at the other end of her row. The Doctor had made it up to the pulpit.

"The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound but we can use this to bring it back." He held up the key, still using his coat as a glove. He had put both keys together and with his sonic, he was able to take the energy from mine and add it to the other. He said it would hopefully speed things up. My key hung around my neck once again. "And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?" He asked us.

"This one big enough?" Stuart asked as he held up the mobile phone.

"Fantastic." The Doctor made his way down from the pulpit as Stuart made his way up to him, pulling the battery out of the phone.

"Good old dad. There you go." He handed the battery over to the Doctor.

"Just need to do a bit of charging up and then we can bring everyone back." He used his sonic on the battery. He glanced around at the others while he charged it. The creatures continued to slam against doors and screech outside the windows. Using his coat he was able to hold the key out. A lock and eventually the rest of the Tardis started materializing around the key. "Right, no one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, zap. Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us. Stuart, Sarah you're going to get married, just like I said." The others started talking excitedly. The Tardis kept fading in an out. I was picking at my nails when I felt someone standing next to me. I looked up to see the Doctor watching me. He offered a hand. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on. We're going to go sit with Rose." I let him help me up and lead me over to where Rose was sitting. He sat between us. Pete was sitting a row behind us, looking at his hands.

"When time gets sorted out-" Rose started, looking over at the Doctor.

"Everybody here forgets what happened. And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed." He explained, trying to be as vague as possible.

"You mean I'll still be alive, though I'm meant to be dead." Pete pipped up. We turned to look at him. "That's why I haven't done anything with my life, why I didn't mean anything." He sounded hurt.

"It doesn't work like that." The Doctor assured him. Pete didn't seem to share that view.

"Rubbish. I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened." He scoffed.

"This is my fault." Rose explained sadly. Pete reached forward and grabbed her arm.

"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault." Jackie had chosen that moment to walk up to us carrying baby Rose.

"Her dad? How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve? Oh, that's disgusting." She was fuming. Pete stood to talk to her while the Doctor stood and walked away. I followed him as he walked away. I could hear Jackie and Pete bickering.

"This is just all too-" He gestured his arms in the air, not having the words to explain what he was feeling.

"Human?" I offered. He looked down at me.

"Yes. How did you know what I meant?" He quirked an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. Before I could answer, the Doctor ran past me and back to the others.

"Oh, for God's sake, look. It's the same Rose!" Pete huffed. I turned to see him take baby Rose from Jackie and hand her to Rose.

"Rose! No!" The Doctor ran up and snatched baby Rose away but it was too late. He handed her back to Jackie as a creature appeared inside the church. People began screaming and running away from it. The Doctor pulled Jackie and Pete behind him.

"Everyone, behind me!" He called out. I ran past him and helped others get back behind him. One woman tripped off to the right side of the pews. I ran over to her and helped her up.

"Go get back there." I told her. I helped guide some of the others. The creature continued to watch the others. They were sitting ducks and the Doctor wasn't moving to do anything other than shield them with himself.

"I'm the oldest thing in here." The Doctor yelled at the creature. He was trying to sacrifice himself.

"Oi! Over here!" I called at the creature. It turned to look at me.

"Phoenix! What the hell are you doing?" The Doctor yelled at me.

"Giving you a chance to get them somewhere safe!" I yelled back. The creature had turned back to him. People had moved further back, away from the Doctor, yet he wasn't moving to help them. I looked around and picked up a hymnal before chucking it at the creature. When the book hit, the creature hissed and turned back to me.

"Nix!" Rose screamed as the creature got ready to descend on me. If I was lucky enough, my plan might work. I would try my hardest to get the stupid thing outside, or into another room at the very least. I took a deep breath and readied myself. Another book flew at it. The creature turned back to the Doctor who was now standing alone. The others had made it to the back of the church.

"Doctor!" Rose and I screamed as the creature flew at him. In an instant he was gone. It turned back to me I went to lead it outside but it veered off course and flew to where the Tardis was materializing. As it flew into the Tardis, both vanished. Everything seemed to slow down. The Tardis key fell to the floor. Rose and I ran over to it. She hesitantly picked it up.

"It's cold. The key's cold. Oh, my God, he's dead." She cried. Pete had made his way over to us. He went to comfort her but she quickly turned away from his touch. "This is all my fault. Both of you. All of you. The whole world." She started crying and Pete wrapped her in his arms. I collapsed into one of the seats and the tears started falling. I began clenching and un-clenching my fists, hoping the slight sting from my nails would help me stop crying, or at the very least, give me a different kind of pain to focus on.

"This is it. There's nothing we can do. It's the end." One woman cried out in fear. I couldn't bear to look at anyone. Instead, I focused on my shaking hands. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't. If the idiot had just let me try my plan, he would still be there. Until that moment, I hadn't realized just how much he meant to me, which made it hurt all the more. My chest constricted tightly.

"Nix, what are we going to do?" Rose asked me. Her and Pete were standing a few feet away from me still. I snapped my head up to look at her. She was looking at me expectantly. Anger and hurt flooded through me.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked her incredulously.

"You think like him! What would he do?" She snapped at me. I stood up and faced her.

"He would use his sonic screwdriver to try and reconnect one of our keys to the Tardis but I don't have a bloody sonic screwdriver, now do I? And even if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with the bloody thing. I'm not him, Rose, I'm not. I can't fix anything." My voice cracked.

"Well what can you do?" She cried and walked away. She was lashing out again. This time it didn't hurt as much. Her lashing out at me was nothing compared to the deep aching sense of loss that was filling me. I choked out a sob before I walked off to the vestry. Some of the others had gone up front to pray. When I got into the vestry, I leaned against a wall and finally let myself cry. When the Doctor had put himself in front of the others, I knew something would happen to him. I had tried to save him, and I had failed. If I had only tried harder, he would still be there and he would be able to help. Rose was right, I couldn't do anything. If I saw him again, I wasn't sure if I would hug him or hit him. I just wanted to wake up and find out it had all been one very realistic nightmare but I knew it wasn't. I cried until I had let everything out.

I had started running my thumb nail across my left palm, as a way of trying to distract myself. It took a little while for me to notice that I had scratched part of my palm raw and it was now bleeding. I pulled the half full bottle of water out of my purse and found a small bowl in the room. I ran the water over the scratch, using the bowl to catch the water. When I was sure it was clean, I looked through my purse and found a small scarf. It was difficult trying to wrap one hand. Luckily Pete had walked in and silently took the scarf from me. He quickly tied my hand up.

"Thank you." I turned to face him. The tears had finally stopped, but I was still shivering slightly from crying.

"You're welcome. I never got to properly meet you." He offered softly, moving to stand next to me in front of the window. While cleaning my hand, I had looked out the window to see the car that had run him over loop around the corner. It would appear out of nowhere, drive around the corner, the man would cover his face, and it would disappear once again.

"I'm no one important, really." I shrugged it off.

"I wouldn't say that." I looked at him curiously. "The Doctor and Rose looked terrified when you tried to stall that thing. You're very important to them. And Rose isn't really mad, she's just frightened."

"I know. She has a habit of lashing out at me because she knows I'll forgive her." I nodded. I held out my hand for him to shake. "I'm Phoenix. Jackie found me wandering around when I was just a teenager. She took me in. I . . . I've been with them ever since." I didn't want him to know that they were struggling when I met them. I didn't want that weighing on him. He was picking up on things quite quickly though.

"You took care of them, didn't you?" He smiled sadly at me. "The way you try to protect Rose. If you weren't so young, I would have assumed you were her mother. I almost asked if you and the Doctor were her parents before I got a good look at you." He chuckled softly. We both turned to look out the window. The car that had almost killed him was looping around the corner again. After a bit of silence he spoke again. "Phoenix, I think I know how to fix this but I need you to promise me something." My heart sank as I turned to face him. I knew what he was planning and the determination in his eyes told me I wasn't going to change his mind.

"Anything." I managed, my voice cracked. He wasn't my father but that didn't mean I wasn't heartbroken for Rose and Jackie.

"Promise me you'll keep looking out for them. It'll ease my worries knowing someone as brave as you is watching out for them." I tried to fight the tears that were slowly escaping my eyes. I was too afraid to speak so I nodded in agreement. He walked closer and wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you." He whispered while hugging me. When my soft sobs finally stopped he let go. I dried my eyes with the sleeves of my sweater.

"I promise I'll watch out for them. You're a good man Pete. Know that. You are a good man." I finally whispered. He nodded at me. We took a minute to steady ourselves before going back into the sanctuary. He made his way to Rose while I walked over to Jackie. She was holding a fussing baby Rose.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked softly.

"Yeah. I know you don't entirely trust Rose and I, but please go hear her and Pete out." I pleaded with her. She slowly nodded.

"Would you-" She offered me baby Rose. I nodded and gently took the baby. She slowly made her way over to Rose and Pete. I sat on the steps of the altar. I watched as they spoke and embraced each other. I couldn't watch them any longer, so instead, I focused on calming baby Rose. I hummed a tune that was stuck in my head and she slowly fell asleep. When Pete and Rose made their way to the large wooden doors of the church, I stood up and walked over to Jackie's friend. I asked if she could watch Rose for me. She took the sleeping baby from my arms and I walked off. I went through the vestry and found a side door. Once outside, I saw Pete run in front of the car that had been looping around the corner. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see it again. A hand gently grabbed a hold of mine. I opened my eyes to see the Doctor there. I squeezed his hand to make sure it was really him. I let go and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back. When I let go, I punched him in the arm.

"Ouch. What was that for?" He flinched back.

"For being a bloody idiot." I lectured him before hugging him again.

"Alright. Talk about mood shifts. But we can talk about that in a minute. We should get moving." He suggested, offering his hand. I nodded and we made our way around the accident. The creatures had vanished from the sky. The Tardis was parked just down the street. We stopped and waited for Rose as she sat with Pete. She kissed his forehead before standing up. She walked over to us. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder as we walked back to the Tardis. The Doctor quickly sent us into the vortex.

"I'm going to go lay down." Rose said quietly. She started walking away and I went to follow.

"I'll come with." I offered. I didn't want her to have to be alone after everything she had just gone through.

"It's alright. I want to be alone for a bit. If that's alright." I nodded and let her walk off. I turned back to the Doctor.

"Alright, what was the punch for earlier?" He asked.

"Like I said, for being a bloody idiot! Sacrifice yourself? Was that your big plan?" I wanted to know what he was thinking when he made that decision.

"You're one to talk. What were you doing?" He huffed back at me.

"I had a plan! I would get that. . . that thing outside again. It would give you enough time to make sure the others were safe and it would give you a chance to fix things!" I yelled at him. He was getting upset as well.

"There was no guarantee that I would be able to get you back!" He snapped. I hadn't really put any thought into the possibility of surviving the attack from the creature. Then I realized, if there hadn't been a guarantee of getting me back, he couldn't have known he would come back either. This angered me even more.

"So what?! You would have still been there to keep the others safe!"

"Why were you so determined to save those stupid apes?" He couldn't see why I had tried to keep everyone safe, why I had tried to keep him safe.

"Those stupid apes deserved a chance! You were that chance! Not me!" I was slowly running out of steam as I yelled. "I don't know what I'm doing 90% of the time. I function on instinct, not knowledge. When you were gone, I had no idea what to do. I couldn't take care of myself, let alone anyone else. I was just as terrified as the rest of them." I felt a couple tears fighting to come forward. He sighed, looking deflated and walked over to me.

"Phoenix, I'm sorry. I was afraid, I didn't know what to do and I didn't want anything to happen to you." He offered. I was able to blink back the tears.

"Can I go back to being happy to see you again?" I asked quietly. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me.

"Just promise you won't do something stupid and dangerous like that again." He asked when he let go.

"No can do. But, I can compromise and promise to better communicate my stupid dangerous plans." I offered my hand. He was frowning and staring me down. I matched his stare. "It's either compromise or worry constantly. Your choice strange man." He huffed and shook my hand.

"Fine. Why do you keep calling me that? You've been calling me that since we first met." I thought about it for a minute. He was right. I had been calling him that since we met at the shop. There wasn't any real reason, he was strange, but it hadn't been a cognitive thing. It was just something I had called him that seemed to stick.

"It's just my nickname for you. You do have to admit, you are a bit strange." I pointed out.

"So are you but you don't see me calling you strange girl." He crossed his arms and leaned against the console. He wasn't really mad. He was teasing once again.

"Well then, I will try to find a better nickname. But for now, I should go and check on Rose. How about we take it easy for a day or two?" I suggested.

"Yeah. We can do that." He agreed. I started walking off toward Rose's room when he called out to me. "Phoenix." I turned back to look at him. He looked slightly concerned.

"Don't worry. I'm alright now. I promise." I gave him a sincere smile which he returned. I gave him a wave as I continued walking. When I was sure I was out of earshot, I decided to talk to the Tardis. "Is Rose awake?" I questioned quietly.

_~Yes. She is in her room. She's thinking about coming to see if you are in your room.~_

"Thank you dear." She hummed in my head as I continued down the hallway. As I neared our doors, Rose opened hers. "Rose." I called out softly. She turned and looked at me. Her hair was still damp from a shower. She looked a little better, her eyes weren't as red. She smiled softly and I walked over to give her a hug.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. Again." She offered when we let go. I chuckled at her.

"It's fine. Really. And I'm sorry for snapping at you as well."

"You had every right to. Don't worry." Her stomach grumbled and we started laughing.

"Should we get some food then watch movies?" I suggested. It was our way of cheering each other up. When one of us had a rough day, we would have a girls night of eating junk food and watching random movies.

"Sounds wonderful. But where are we going to watch movies?" She questioned. With that, a door popped up down the hall. We started laughing. "Thank you kind Tardis." Rose bowed in the hallway. I could feel the Tardis laughing in response.

"Let's go get food." We made our way to the kitchen and got whatever junk food sounded good before making our way back to the room the Tardis had shown us. It was a large room with a large television and several seating options. There were couches, recliners, and even bean bag chairs. We decided on the bean bag chairs and pulled them in front of the television. After a short perusal of the large selection of movies, Rose decided on a romantic comedy. They weren't my favorite kind of movies, but I put up with them for Rose. It was a bit on the cheesy side, and we started making fun of it. After a while Rose started nodding off. Not soon after, I started getting drowsy as well. The Tardis changed the movie to one of my favorite musicals and turned down the sound and lights so I could sleep as well. I gave her a quiet thanks before curling up and falling asleep.


	25. The Empty Child - Part 1

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. The outfit for this chapter can be found on Polyvore (/empty_child/set?id=172225541) I'm sorry my wonderful readers, but I think I'm going to have to take a bit of a hiatus. I'm just having a difficult time sitting myself down and writing. I'm not giving up on this story, I'm just letting you all know it may be a while before I update again. I'm sorry. :-( I hope you all enjoy anyway. Please leave a review and let me know if you liked this chapter or what changes you would like to see.

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I sat up suddenly in bed. The room was dark except for the glowing stars and galaxies. My heart was racing and I didn't know why. The Tardis humming gently in my mind helped calm me down. It was a familiar tune but I couldn't place it. It was one I had found myself humming occasionally. There were no words that I could recall. It was a slow and gentle tune. After a couple minutes of the gentle humming, I began to feel relaxed again.

"Thank you dear." I smiled. She really was amazing. For how much I picked on her and called her traitorous, she was exceptionally caring. The Doctor had been right when he told me she was mothering me. For a moment, I wondered if my mother had ever hummed or sang to me when I was small but I quickly shook the thought from my mind.

_~You're welcome. Is everything alright?~_ I could feel her concern for me. As much as I hated making others worry about me, I couldn't really blame her. For the first time in a while though, I couldn't really remember why I felt so panicked. There was no dream slowly fading from memory, no tears on my face to indicate a nightmare. As far as I could tell, there was no reason at all for me to have woken up the way I did.

"I'm sure it's nothing." I tried to comfort her as I climbed out of bed. She didn't say anything more so I started getting ready. After a hot shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and went back into my room to find an outfit. I went through the dresser but nothing looked comfortable enough. The Tardis must have picked up on this because in the closet there was only one outfit. There was a dress, black with white polka dots. It was a bit vintage looking, from maybe the 1940s or 50s, but I liked it. It was knee length. There was also a pair of flats that matched the dress. I smiled and pulled them out. Once dressed, I started working on my hair. I put it in a high pony tail and curled it a little extra before adding a matching black and white bow. Feeling happy with how I looked, I left my room and started walking toward the console room. Rose came out of her room when I was walking past.

"Wow." She snorted. I looked at her, scrunching my face in confusion. She gestured to my outfit. I looked down at it before looking back at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Just, not used to you in dresses. I mean 1869 was one thing, we sort of needed to wear dresses. This is just, definitely new." She teased. I smoothed out the dress a little while sticking my tongue out at her. "Any special reason for the dress?" She started wiggling her eyebrows at me. I groaned and started walking away. She quickly followed.

"Not going there today. And I didn't pick it out. I couldn't figure out what to wear so the Tardis helped me." I huffed. "Besides, I like the retro look." She started laughing as we walked into the console room. The Doctor was looking at a monitor and pulling levers. As we got closer, the Tardis began to shake violently.

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked as we ran up to the console to hold on. Another shudder went through the Tardis. Rose was able to grab onto the railing but I was tossed back. Luckily I landed in the jump seat. I moved to get up but decided against it.

"It's mauve." The Doctor explained excitedly as he ran around the other side.

"Mauve?" Rose questioned as she ran over to where he was.

"The universally recognized color for danger." He continued piloting the Tardis. I had caught a glimpse of the monitor. There was a cylindrical object that we seemed to be chasing.

"What happened to red?" I called out.

"That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing." He chuckled. I had finally gotten off the jump seat and had made it to the left side of him. Rose was standing on his right. We were watching the object on the monitor. "It's got a very basic flight computer. I've hacked in, slaved the Tardis. Where it goes, we go."

"And that's safe, is it?" Rose questioned nervously. I didn't blame her.

"Totally." He scoffed. I looked over at Rose. We both started laughing. "What?"

"Doctor, with you, nothing is totally safe." I observed. He shook his head and went to mess with some other controls.

"This is totally safe." He moved to my left to do something when there was a large bang and spark from the console. Rose and I ducked to avoid anything that might fly at us. Luckily nothing flew at us and we stood back up. "Okay, reasonably safe. Should have said 'reasonably' there." He ran back between Rose and I. We had started laughing at him again.

"You think?" I teased, shaking my head. He ignored my comment and looked at the monitor. The cylinder was getting away from us.

"No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us." He explained while fighting with the controls.

"What exactly is this thing?" Rose questioned.

"No idea."

"Then why are we chasing it?" She continued, voicing my thoughts as well.

"It's mauve and dangerous, and about thirty seconds from the center of London." He explained to us. He continued to pilot.

"Oh lovely." I muttered. The Tardis landed with a large thud. Thankfully we all remained standing. The Doctor made his way to the door. Rose grabbed her coat from the jump seat and I found one of my nice overcoats laying next to hers. I thanked the Tardis and followed Rose out to where the Doctor was standing. We were standing in an alley between two terraces.

"Do you know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?" The Doctor mused as he looked around the darkened alley way.

"Five days?" I suggested. Rose looked at me with a smirk.

"Or is that just when we're out of milk?" She added. We started giggling when the Doctor looked at us. His face was scrunched up which made us laugh even more.

"Of all the species in all the Universe and it has to come out of a cow." He huffed. He took a quick look around before leading us down the alley. We quieted our laughing and started after him. "Must have come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile, anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month."

"A month? We were right behind it." Rose said as we caught up with the Doctor. The alley was divided by a small wall and was downward sloping.

"It was jumping time tracks all over the place. We're bound to be a little bit out. Do you want to drive?" He scoffed at us, leading us around a corner and down another alley. There were clothes lines draped between the two terraces, over the small wall we had come around. I pulled my coat tighter around me to keep out the chill.

"After your driving the last few trips, I'm starting to think Rose and I _should_ have a go of it." I teased. He looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. I held up my hands in defense. "You're the one who offered."

"You know, one of these days I might just let you try, with the shields up of course, to show you it's not as easy as it looks." He pointed at me. "I doubt you could get even five minutes in the future." He sounded so sure of himself. I started smirking at him, which seemed to make him a little uneasy. His own smirk began to fade slightly.

"Want to bet?" I offered my hand. He looked from my hand back to my smile.

"Best not make a bet with her Doctor. She takes them quite seriously. If you're not careful she'll have you walking around in some kind of costume for losing." Rose shook her head at the memory while I started giggling. Mickey had called me out on my trivia knowledge several months before we met the Doctor. I decided to challenge him to a round of pub trivia. The stakes were the loser wearing a french maid costume over their clothes while going to fetch lunch the next day.

"I thought Mickey wore that dress quite well." I gloated. The Doctor looked thoroughly confused and Rose just rolled her eyes at me. The guys at his shop hadn't let up for weeks after. One of them had seen him and told the others. Mickey never made a bet with me again.

"Right. So Doctor, how much is a 'little'?" Rose questioned, bringing the conversation back to the reason we were there.

"A bit." He offered. I looked over to him.

"Is that exactly a bit?" I teased. Rose was shaking her head at me and laughing quietly. I gave her a smile.

"Ish." He shrugged.

"What's the plan, then? Are you going to do a scan for alien tech or something?" Rose asked excitedly as we continued down the second downward sloping alley. There was a door at the far end that the Doctor seemed to be leading us to. It was marked Deliveries Only. The soft sounds of live music drifted in the air. It sounded like it was coming from behind the door.

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm going to ask." He pulled out his small leather wallet and handed it to Rose. She frowned slightly but took the psychic paper from him. I stood on my toes and put my chin on her shoulder to look at the paper with her, desperately hoping I could see something.

"Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids." Rose read it out loud. I could only assume it looked like an identification badge of sorts. To me, it simply had Doctor John Smith and Ministry of Asteroids written across it. She handed it back to him as we came up to the door.

"It's psychic paper. It tells you-" He started explaining, putting the wallet back into his pocket.

"Whatever you want it to tell me, I remember." She quickly interrupted him and waved her hand dismissively.

"Sorry." He muttered. I tried to hold in my laughter. He liked to show off and occasionally forgot what he had and hadn't told us. He always pouted when we told him he had already explained something to us. It was entertaining to say the least.

"Not very Spock, is it, just asking." She pouted. I snorted, not being able to hold in my laugh anymore. "What?" She turned to look at me.

"We travel in space and time and you want more Spock?" I teased. She didn't answer me. I chuckled and looked over to the Doctor. He had his ear against the door, listening. The music had gotten louder the closer we got to the door. It was definitely coming from inside. It was a nice jazzy tune.

"Door, music, people. What do you think?" The Doctor smiled at us.

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech. Give me some Spock, for once. Would it kill you?" Rose continued to pout. I rolled my eyes at her and watched the Doctor as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver to open the door. He started working on the lock when he looked over at Rose.

"Are you sure about that t-shirt?" He asked her. I looked over, wondering why he was asking. She was wearing a Union Flag shirt under a coat. She looked down at her shirt as well and then back to the Doctor.

"Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin." She smiled. The Doctor shrugged and finished unlocking the door. It opened slightly and stood up. The music came through clearer. A woman was singing over the live music.

"Come on if you're coming. It won't take a minute." The Doctor said, popping his head around the door and looking inside. After a quick glance, he opened the door further and we walked inside. We walked down the hallway following the music. Rose hadn't followed us but I figured she was just outside waiting. We hung back a little as a waiter walked through a beaded curtain and out to where the music was coming from. Stepping through the curtain, the Doctor leaned against one side of the door frame while I leaned against the other side. We were in a small nightclub. There were several circular tables with lamps on them. Every table was filled with people wearing clothes in the similar style as mine. The Doctor hadn't taken much notice of them though.

He was looking up to the small stage in the corner. There was a small jazz band, complete with a saxophonist. They were playing while a beautiful woman, in an equally beautiful white dress with gloves, sang. It was a lovely song that I found myself humming along with. The woman continued singing. "For nobody else gave me the thrill. When I have uphold silence still, it had to be you, wonderful you. It had to be you." When she finished, the audience began to applaud. The Doctor and I joined them. The Doctor began walking over and when the singer stepped down, he stood in front of the microphone. I stayed off to the side, taking in the sight of the room.

"Excuse me. Excuse me. Could I have everybody's attention just for a mo? Be very quick. Hello!" He waved his hands slightly to get peoples attentions. They were whispering among themselves slightly but turned their attention to him anyway. The Doctor continued addressing the crowd. "Might seem like a stupid question, but has anything fallen from the sky recently?" The crowd had grown silent but burst into laughter. The look of confusion on the Doctor's face mirrored my own. I looked around the room and saw a few posters on the back wall. They were war propaganda posters, and they looked brand new. I looked over to the Doctor. He was watching the crowd with his face scrunched up in confusion. "Sorry, have I said something funny? It's just, there's this thing that I need to find. Would've fallen from the sky a couple of days ago."

"Doctor." I called to him, trying to point out the posters but he ignored me. Then an air raid siren began to sound. The people in the room began to finish their drinks and stand. They were all heading out the same door the Doctor and I had entered through. The Doctor continued talking, oblivious to the signs around him. I moved to stand next to him, to be out of the way of the others quickly leaving.

"Would've landed quite near here. With a very loud-" He paused for a minute. The bartender and one of the waiters were helping the patrons out of the room. They called out for the patrons to go down to a shelter. Without a word I pointed to the posters on the back wall. " Bang." He finished with a huff of defeat.

"Don't think asking is going to be of much help." I teased as the room emptied.

"Not you too." He huffed and looked around. "Where is Rose by the way?" He asked. I looked around as well. She was nowhere in sight. I explained how she hadn't followed us in, or at least how I hadn't seen her come in. He muttered something about people wandering off before walking back through the beaded curtain. We made our way out the back door that we had come through. The alley was empty. "Rose?" The Doctor called out. I looked around and realized she was nowhere to be found. It set an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. We started hurrying down the alley.

"Rose?" I called out, hoping she had just wandered around the corner. There was no response as we continued down the alley. "Maybe she went back to the Tardis?" I suggested, hoping it was that, and not something dangerous. As we rounded the corner on the wall, a cat meowed. We stopped and looked over. There was a black and white cat sitting on a couple stacked boxes. It was a cute and friendly little thing. The Doctor picked it up and started talking to it.

"You know, one day, just one day, maybe, I'm going to meet someone who gets the whole don't wander off thing. Nine hundred years of phone box travel, it's the only thing left to surprise me." I had crossed my arms and was staring at him.

"Really?" I asked, he looked over at me. "I take offense to that." I wasn't really offended, just a bit annoyed. Rose had a habit of wandering off, but not once had I run off without him. In fact, I tended to stay by his side even though Rose seemed to be the one who needed me more. She got into more trouble when left to her own devices. The Doctor did so as well. It was extremely difficult deciding who I should stick with. I didn't really trust either of them on their own.

"You don't count." He huffed. I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to try and explain himself. He opened his mouth to say something else but a phone began to ring. We both looked over to the Tardis. The ringing seemed to be coming from her. He handed me the cat and we began walking to the Tardis. The phone continued ringing. He walked over to the telephone door and stared at it quizzically before opening it. There was an antique phone on the inside of the door. "How can you be ringing? What's that about, ringing? What am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?" He questioned out loud, sounding more frazzled with each ring of the phone.

"Answer it? That's what most people do." I suggested. He looked at me before turning back to the phone.

"It shouldn't be ringing." He muttered, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of a pocket in his jacket.

"Don't answer it. It's not for you." We both turned to look down the alley from where we had come. A young girl was standing there watching us. She was about my height, with slightly wavy brown hair. A long wool coat covered her, keeping the cold out. She looked nervous, and shifted on her feet slightly.

"And how do you know that?" The Doctor asked her.

"'Cos I do. And I'm telling you, don't answer it."

"Well, if you know so much, tell me this. How can it be ringing? It's not even a real phone." The cat in my arms began to squirm slightly so I moved to set it on some boxes on the other side of the Tardis. When I came back around, I noticed the girl was gone. The Doctor was still talking though, looking at the phone, not noticing the girl was gone. "It's not connected, it's not-" I tapped him on the arm. He stopped speaking and looked at me expectantly.

"She's gone." I pointed to where the girl had been. He glanced over before looking back at me.

"Where's she gone to?" He asked.

"I don't know. I set the cat down and she was gone." I shrugged. The phone continued ringing in front of him. Carefully he picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.

"Hello? Hello? This is the Doctor speaking. How may I help you?" He scrunched up his face while listening. "Who is this? Who's speaking?" He asked. I stood on my toes, trying to hear what he was hearing from the receiver. He lowered it slightly so that I could listen as well. A young boy's voice came through.

"Are you my mummy?" The quiet voice questioned. I gave the Doctor a confused look.

"Who is this?" He continued. The boy kept repeating the question, asking for his mummy. "How did you ring here? This isn't a real phone. It's not wired up to anything." The Doctor explained. The boy asked for his mummy a couple more times before the phone clicked to a dialing tone. We looked at each other in confusion for a moment before the Doctor hung up the receiver.

"Who was that?" I finally asked. Though he looked confused, I had hoped he would have some kind of idea of who had managed to call the Tardis.

"I don't know. This phone isn't meant to ring. It's not connected to anything." He closed the small door and opened the door to the Tardis. "Rose? Rose, are you in there?" There was no response. I was getting a bit worried. We both turned to face the alley when there was a clatter down at the end. He looked at me with a smile and offered his hand. I chuckled and took it as we started running after the sound. I was thankful the Tardis had given me flats so I could run. We rounded a wall but slowed down when we heard people.

"The planes are coming. Can't you hear them? Into the shelter. None of your nonsense, now move it!" A woman called from the other side of a brick wall. There were a couple metal bins in front of it. I climbed on one with a boost from the Doctor before he climbed on to the other. I was just barely able to see above the wall when standing on my toes. I gripped the wall to keep from slipping or falling over.

On the other side of the wall was a back yard and garden of a house. A woman was hurrying a young boy into a small air raid shelter, adorned with flags. "Come on, hurry up, get in there. Come on." She urged the boy inside the shelter and turned back to face the house. "Arthur! Arthur, Will you hurry up? Didn't you hear the siren?" She yelled out. A man, who I'm assuming was her husband, came out the back door reluctantly.

"Middle of dinner, every night. Blooming Germans. Don't you eat?" He grumbled at the sky. Despite the sound of planes and explosions in the distance, I smiled at the man's comment. I glanced over to see the Doctor smiling as well.

"I can hear the planes!" The woman called out to her husband, sounding frustrated with him.

"Don't you eat?" The man once again yelled at the sky.

"Oh, keep your voice down, will you? It's an air raid! Get in. Look, there's a war on." She lectured him as he walked over to the shelter. She started pushing him to get inside.

"I know there's a war on. Don't push me." He grumbled back at her before they both entered the shelter and closed the door. When the door was fully closed and the family had quieted down, the girl from before slowly made her way out from behind the shelter. She had been hiding in the shadows so I hadn't noticed her before. She hadn't seemed to notice us either because she quickly made her way into the back door of the house. She obviously didn't belong with the family, or she wouldn't have been hiding outside of the shelter.

"What's she doing here?" I asked as the Doctor hopped off the bin he was on. He walked over and helped me off of mine as well.

"Let's find out." He smiled. We quietly unlatched the back gate and made our way into the house the way the girl had gone. Once inside, we could hear the sounds of children talking and laughing in the front. We walked down a hall and found a door into a dining room. There were quite a few children sitting around a table, with the girl from before sitting at the head of it, carving meat.

"All right then, One slice each, and I want to see everyone chewing properly." She told the other children. She started passing around a plate of meat. The children were so preoccupied with the food, they didn't notice me or the Doctor come in and sit at the table with them. Each time someone took a piece of meat, they would thank the girl.

"Thanks, miss!" The Doctor beamed as he placed some meat on his plate, he offered it to me but I declined it. When the children noticed us they began to panic and stand, preparing to run away. They were all so young.

"It's all right. Everybody stay where you are!" The girl at the head of the table explained.

"Good here, innit? Who's got the salt?" He asked, looking around. I shook my head at him.

"Back in your seats. They shouldn't be here either." The girl explained. The children calmed down slightly and sat back down. The Doctor offered me the plate of meat. I didn't take anything and handed the plate to the young girl next to me. She was struggling a bit so I placed a piece of meat on her plate and the platter got passed down the line. The little girl gave me a quiet thanks. She was the youngest of them all. She reminded me of someone but I couldn't place who.

"So, you lot, what's the story?" The Doctor asked the group. Some of the children turned to look at him. The little girl tapped my arm timidly.

"What is it sweetheart?" I whispered to her gently. She pointed to the meat on her plate and the knife next to it. "Do you need help?" She nodded. I smiled and started cutting up her meat while the Doctor spoke to the others. I tried to remember who the girl reminded me of. I was focusing so much on that that I didn't hear the conversation around me. It was slightly muffled. When I was done I handed the plate back to the girl and she began eating. My hands started going numb so I looked at them in my lap. My vision darkened.

_I was answering the front door. A young brunette woman was standing on the other side of the door, holding a blonde toddler. They were both smiling at me. I could feel myself smile back at them._

_"Cora, what are you doing here?" I asked. The girl in her arms was reaching out for me calling me auntie. I took her into my arms and she giggled._

_"Is it a crime to wish to see my sister?" She teased. We both laughed._

_"Not at all. Come in." We walked into the house and sat in the living room. The little girl, my niece, sat on my knee._

_"Can we color, auntie Phoenix?" She asked excitedly._

_"Of course we can sweetheart. Do you remember where everything is?" I asked brightly. She nodded and hopped off my lap running into another room. I looked up at my sister. Her smile had faded slightly. "What's wrong?" I asked quietly._

_"Nothing." I stared at her until she caved. "Fine. It's the Doctor. He's off on another 'adventure' of his." She huffed._

_"Cora, why don't you go with him? I can handle the kids. Amina is the only one not at the Academy yet." I suggested. I never understood why she never went with him. I had always hoped to meet someone with a sense of adventure like him. It didn't take me long to realize that no one wanted to put up with a woman that hated sitting still._

_"You know I don't like doing that. I had hoped he would stop with that nonsense when we had children. He did for a while. Now he's at it again. He asked me to join but I just can't." She explained. The conversation stopped when Amina came back into the room with the paper and art supplies. We started coloring._

I blinked a couple times and my vision returned to normal. I was still seated at the table with the Doctor and all the children. I looked over to the small girl next to me. She looked similar to the young girl that I had seen. I shook the vision from my mind when one of the boys started speaking.

"Why do you want to know that? Are you two coppers?" He questioned nervously. I hadn't been out of it for very long it seemed. Luckily I hadn't done anything to draw any attention to myself.

"Of course we're not coppers. What's a copper going to do with you lot anyway? Arrest you for starving?" The Doctor asked with a smile. The children started laughing. He looked down at his watch before looking at them again. "I make it 1941. You lot shouldn't even be in London. You should've been evacuated to the country by now."

"I was evacuated. Sent me to a farm." A small boy sitting next to the head girl said with a frown.

"Why did you come back?" I asked gently, deciding to finally join in the conversation.

"There was a man there." He looked frightened. My stomach sank at his tone.

"Yeah, same with Ernie. Two homes ago." Another boy pipped up, pointing to the oldest boy. This boy was the one who had asked if we were police.

"Shut up. It's better on the streets anyway. It's better food." Ernie said while shaking his head. It made me wonder just how bad it was where they were evacuated to. They all seemed terrified by the evacuation places.

"Yeah. Nancy always gets the best food for us." The other boy beamed, gesturing to the girl at the head of the table. We turned to her. She wasn't looking at us, almost like she was avoiding our gaze.

"So, that's what you do, is it, Nancy?" The Doctor asked her.

"What is?" She asked briskly. She sounded annoyed and put out at the question. I watched her carefully. There was something deeper than the question that was bothering her but I couldn't figure out what it was. I decided on just watching her while the Doctor questioned her.

"As soon as the sirens go, you find a big fat family meal still warm on the table with everyone down in the air raid shelter and bingo! Feeding frenzy for the homeless kids of London Town. Puddings for all, as long as the bombs don't get you." He sounded excited at first, but the last part sounded somber. It was a bit daunting, hearing the planes and bombs in the distance while these children ate. They seemed quite brave given the situation.

"Something wrong with that?" Nancy snapped at him.

"Wrong with it? It's brilliant. I'm not sure if it's Marxism in action or a West End musical." The Doctor mused with a smile. A couple kids gave him blank stares while others paid no attention and kept eating.

"Quite resourceful. A bit dangerous, but resourceful nonetheless." I agreed.

"Why'd you follow me? What do you want?" She asked us nervously.

"I want to know how a phone that isn't a phone gets a phone call. You seem to be the one to ask." He pointed to her.

"I did you a favor. I told you not to answer it, that's all I'm telling you." She huffed and looked down at her plate. She was hiding something and it was starting to bother me even more than before. Whatever it was, it was pretty big.

"Great, thanks. And I want to find a blonde in a Union Jack. I mean a specific one. Her sister." He said pointing to me. "I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving." The children began laughing. All but Nancy. She stood up and started walking over to him. "Anybody seen a girl like that?" She picked up his plate. "What have I done wrong?" He asked as she started walking away.

"You took two slices." She explained. The children started laughing again. I joined them after seeing the look on the Doctor's face. He was pouting. Nancy made her way to the head of the table while talking. "No blondes, no flags. Anything else before you leave?" She set the plate on the table and stared at us, waiting for us to leave. We didn't move though.

"Yeah, there is actually. Thanks for asking. Something we've been looking for." The Doctor explained, pulling a small pad of paper and a pencil out of his pocket. He started sketching while talking. "Would've fallen from the sky about a month ago, but not a bomb. Not the usual kind, anyway. Wouldn't have exploded. Probably would have just buried itself in the ground somewhere, and it would have looked something like this." He held up a rough sketch of the thing we had been following in the Tardis. The children looked at the drawing but no one said anything. I stole a quick glance at Nancy. There was something in her eyes. She kept her face neutral but there was something she knew about it. A sudden knock on the window made everyone jump.

"Mummy? Are you in there, mummy?" It was the same little boy's voice from the Tardis telephone. The Doctor and I jumped up and went to the window. We pulled the curtains open to look out. There was a small boy wearing a gas mask. He put his hand up to the window. "Mummy?" He asked.

"Who was the last one in?" Nancy asked quickly.

"Them." Ernie pointed at us.

"No, they came round the back. Who came in the front?" She explained.

"Me." The boy sitting next to her said nervously.

"Did you close the door?" She asked him.

"I-" He paused.

"Did you close the door?" She demanded. He didn't answer.

"Mummy? Mummy? Mummy?" The small boy in the gas mask called out. Through the window we saw that he had turned to go to the front door. Nancy quickly ran from the room. We followed her as she ran into the hallway and to the door. She quickly closed it and bolted the locks. There was a shadow from the small boy in the door's windows.

"What's this, then? It's never easy being the only child left out in the cold, you know." The Doctor questioned her. She had helped all these other children get something to eat, yet here she was locking another child out of the house. It was extremely confusing.

"I suppose you'd know." She snapped at him. I nodded my head. I had known what it was like being alone outside, seeing others safe and warm in their homes.

"I do actually, yes." The Doctor answered her. I glanced at him slightly before speaking my mind.

"It's terrifying being outside all alone. The poor boy is probably frightened out of his wits." I worried about the poor child outside, but Nancy was standing between us and the door and she wasn't letting us through.

"It's not exactly a child." She said cryptically. The boy outside called for his mummy again. Nancy took one last look before going around us. She ran back into the dining room where the others were. I moved to watch her from the doorway. She grabbed her coat and started putting it on. "Right, everybody out. Across the back garden and under the fence. Now! Go! Move!" The children all began to put their own coats on and ran to the back door. One little girl hadn't moved from the table, the one I had helped with her food. "Come on, baby, we've got to go, all right? It's just like a game. Just like chasing. Take your coat, go on. Go!" Nancy handed the little girl a coat and the little girl ran out of the room to join the others out back.

"Mummy? Mummy? Please let me in, mummy. Please let me in, mummy." The little gas mask boy called out. I looked over to see him putting his small hand through the letter box, reaching out to anyone inside. His hand was dirt coated and there was a scar on the back of his hand. The Doctor and I had moved closer to the door.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" I asked softly, crouching down slightly.

"Please let me in." The boy asked quietly. Suddenly a glass flew past me and hit the door, shattering into tiny pieces. The boy quickly removed his hand from the letter box. I quickly turned to see Nancy standing behind the Doctor.

"You mustn't let him touch you!" She explained.

"What happens if he touches me?" I asked her.

"He'll make you like him." She said, once again giving a cryptic answer.

"And what's he like?" The Doctor questioned.

"I've got to go." She said, turning to leave.

"Nancy, what's he like?" The Doctor asked again.

"He's empty." She said flatly. The telephone on the book shelf next to us began to ring. "It's him. He can make phones ring. He can. Just like with that police box you saw." The Doctor looked from the door to the phone and picked it up. Nancy ran over and put it back on the hook. Then the radio in the next room crackled to life.

"Mummy? Please let me in, mummy." The Doctor ran into the Dining room and over to the radio. The boy's voice was coming through it. I followed him with Nancy right behind me. The Doctor turned the dial, trying to switch stations, but it wouldn't change. I quickly spun around when a wind up monkey toy with cymbals started playing on the small table next to me.

"I hate those things." I shuddered. The Doctor walked over and picked it up. He looked it over before setting it down. The small boy's voice kept repeating the word 'mummy' over and over. Nancy seemed to have her fill of the boy calling out.

"You two stay if you want to." She huffed before running out of the room. She ran out the back door to where the other children had gone. The Doctor and I shared a confused glance and walked into the hallway. The letter box opened again and the boy's hand was once again reaching in.

"Mummy? Let me in please, mummy. Please let me in." He called out.

"Your mummy isn't here sweetheart." I told him gently. The Doctor and I walked closer to the door and crouched down to roughly eye level.

"Are you my mummy?" The boy asked.

"No mummies here. Nobody here but us chickens. Well, these two chickens." The Doctor chuckled. I could hear the radio click off from the other room.

"I'm scared." The boy continued.

"It's alright sweetheart. No need to be scared. Why are those other children so frightened of you?" I asked him carefully. He didn't answer me.

"Please let me in, mummy. I'm scared of the bombs." He called out. I looked over at the Doctor.

"We need to do something." I whispered. He looked at me and nodded after a pause.

"Okay. We're opening the door now." He explained as we stood up. The boy pulled his hand back out of the letter box. The Doctor stepped forward and began unbolting the locks. When he opened the door though, the boy was gone. We quickly stepped outside and looked around. The entire street was empty. There was no sign of the little boy ever being there. "Where's he gone?" He mused. "We need to figure out what's going on here."

"Let's go find Nancy again then." I offered. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "She knows something. I could see it in her eyes when you drew the thing we were chasing. She knows something but she's afraid." I explained.

"Right. Let's go find her." We went back through the house and out the back. "Where would she have gone though?" He asked aloud as we walked out the back gate.

"Abandoned part of the railway?" I suggested. Once again he gave me a confused glance. "It was a homeless kind of thing. Railways hold abandoned cars that are good for shelter. It's one of the first things you learn." I explained. He watched me for a minute before nodding and starting off down one alley. I quickly followed him. We walked in silence for a little while. I was a little startled when the Doctor began speaking again.

"How are you holding up?" He asked me as we continued walking.

"What do you mean?" I was more than a little confused as to why he was asking me this.

"You empathize with the children. It can't be easy seeing them living like this. And don't think I didn't notice your sudden silence after helping that girl with her food. You stared at your hands for a while before shaking your head and looking around." He elaborated. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to lie to him but I didn't exactly want to explain what I had seen. It felt so real, like a memory, but it couldn't be a memory. I was only 24 and the girl whose eyes I had been looking through was roughly that age. After wrestling with what to say, I decided on a half truth.

"The little girl reminded me of someone but I couldn't figure out who. I was trying to remember who she reminded me of." I finally offered. "As for the other children, it is a bit difficult seeing them go through this. They're all so young. It was difficult on me and I was 16. I couldn't imagine going through this at such a young age." It broke my heart seeing those children living meal to meal, hoping that they can find enough food and somewhere safe to stay. I wanted to protect them but didn't know how. The Doctor's hand reached out and grabbed mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I looked over to him. He didn't say anything, he just gave me a warm smile. I smiled back and thanked him with a nod of my head. We continued walking until we neared the railway.


	26. The Empty Child - Part 2

**A/N:** I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. I'm sorry it has been so long since I've updated. I was struggling to find inspiration to write, and then when I was able to start writing again, I lost my progress because the document file got corrupted. So, I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best. I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review letting me know what you think.

_AxidentlGoddess: _A big thank you for your review! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story so far.

* * *

_Previously:_

_"The little girl reminded me of someone but I couldn't figure out who. I was trying to remember who she reminded me of." I finally offered. "As for the other children, it is a bit difficult seeing them go through this. They're all so young. It was difficult on me and I was 16. I couldn't imagine going through this at such a young age." It broke my heart seeing those children living meal to meal, hoping that they can find enough food and somewhere safe to stay. I wanted to protect them but didn't know how. The Doctor's hand reached out and grabbed mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I looked over to him. He didn't say anything, he just gave me a warm smile. I smiled back and thanked him with a nod of my head. We continued walking until we neared the railway. _

* * *

When we neared the station, we caught sight of Nancy. She was sneaking between rail cars, looking for any sign of someone following her, and ducked into a small shack. We quietly followed her and moved to stand in the small doorway. We silently watched her as she put food from her bag into a small container on the floor. When she noticed us standing there silently, she stood and faced us.

"How'd you follow me here?" She questioned nervously. She looked out the door and down the tracks, checking to see if if we were the only ones who had followed her. She was afraid of someone else following her, it was easy to see that. The question was, who, or what, was she so afraid of?

"I'm good at following, got the nose for it." The Doctor explained. He tapped his nose for emphasis.

"People can't usually follow me if I don't want them to." She spoke softly, not moving from where she was standing. Her eyes darted around slightly, keeping track of her surroundings.

"No one followed us, Nancy. Don't worry." I tried to reassure her. She didn't seem to fully believe me. She stopped watching the tracks nervously but didn't relax her rigid posture.

"How do you know? You were able to follow me just fine." She countered.

"My nose has special powers." The Doctor laughed. He was trying to reassure her as well. His attempts were more affective than mine were. Nancy relaxed a little bit and even smiled at his joke.

"Yeah? Is that why it's, uhm-" She started but didn't finish. Her smile grew. I started biting my lip, trying not to laugh at what she was insinuating. She even smiled at me when she noticed that I understood what she meant. The Doctor didn't pick up on it as quickly.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." Nancy chuckled. I tried to stifle my own giggle.

"What?" He repeated. He quickly glanced between the two of us. Nancy was smiling. I covered my mouth to hide my growing smile. He didn't seem upset, just truly confused.

"Nothing. Do your ears have special powers too?" Nancy teased.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Goodnight, Mister, Miss." She gave us each a nod before turning to pick up her bag and leave.

"Nancy, wait." I called out to her. She turned slowly to face me when I spoke. Her smile was slowly fading, as was mine. "Why are you so afraid of that boy?" I tried to find a gentle way of questioning her. I didn't want to push her too much. It was obvious that she was afraid and I worried that pushing too hard would scare her from opening up. When she didn't answer my questions, the Doctor spoke up.

"There's something chasing you and the other kids. Looks like a boy and isn't a boy, and it started about a month ago, right?" He paused for a moment. Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "The thing we're looking for, the thing that fell from the sky, that's when it landed. And you know what I'm talking about, don't you?" He asked her. She sighed, her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"There was a bomb. A bomb that wasn't a bomb. Fell on the other end of Limehouse Green Station." She finally admitted.

"Could you take us there?" I asked gently. I wasn't sure where Limehouse Green Station was, and I didn't know if the Doctor did either. Also, if Nancy came with us, it would give us the opportunity to ask her more about what had happened. There was just something about her that felt like she knew more than she was letting on, and I wanted to know what she was hiding.

"There's soldiers guarding it. Barbed wire. You'll never get through." She shook her head not believing we could get through, and not wanting to bring us there.

"You'd be surprised at the places we've managed to get into." I offered. She looked at me skeptically. It really was intriguing to think of all the places we managed to get into, whether on purpose or not. She raised an eyebrow at me then looked at the Doctor.

"You sure you want to know what's going on in there?" She questioned.

"We really want to know." The Doctor insisted. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Then there's someone you nee to talk to first." She warned us.

"And who might that be?" The Doctor asked.

"The Doctor." She said ominously and turned to pick up her bag. The Doctor and I shared a confused look but neither of us asked any further questions. Without another word, Nancy began to lead us off to Limehouse Green Station.

The Doctor and I quickly followed her. We walked along a trail next to the rail tracks. We crossed a bridge and walked part of the way down a set of stairs. In front of us, down the tracks a bit, there was a fenced off area with soldiers walking around guarding it. The Doctor reached into his jacket, pulled out a pair of small binoculars, and began to scout out the area.

"The bomb's under that tarpaulin. They put the fence up over night." Nancy explained, pointing to the fenced off area. "See that building? The hospital." She pointed to a large hospital looming in the distance. It was several stories high, modeled to look like a castle. It looked eerie in the night. The plane search lights and clouds in the background only made the building look eerier. Very few windows were lit up. I couldn't tell if this was because of the air raid or if it normally looked like that vacant.

"What about it?" The Doctor asked her, still looking at everything through his binoculars. I was fixated on the hospital looming in the distance.

"That's where the doctor is. You should talk to him." Nancy told us. It sounded like more than just a suggestion.

"For now, I'm more interested in getting in there." The Doctor gestured to the fenced off area.

"Talk to the doctor first." She insisted.

"Why?" I asked. I looked to her, wondering why it was so important for us to go to the hospital and speak with some doctor. I was trying to find the connection between everything but I couldn't figure one out. My head started throbbing slightly at the over thinking.

"Because then maybe you won't want to get inside." Nancy explained, turning to go back the way we had come. She had gone up several steps before the Doctor stopped her.

"Where're you going?" He asked. She turned back to face us.

"There was a lot of food in that house. I've got mouths to feed. Should be safe enough now." She explained.

"Can I ask you a question?" I started. She nodded. "Who did you lose?"

"What?" She looked shocked that I had asked this.

"The way you look after all those kids. It's because you lost somebody, isn't it? You're doing all this to make up for it. Trust me, I know the feeling. You feel like if you help enough of them, the pain will go away." I offered. She looked at me with sorrow in her eyes. I understood that pain, though I wasn't sure why I had felt it. It was there in my first memories on the streets. It was a deep and crushing feeling that I had lost someone so close to me, that I had failed them. It was why I took care of anyone I came across while on the streets. It was why I had taken care of Angie, and tried to get her home.

"My little brother, Jamie. One night I went out looking for food. Same night that thing fell. I told him not to follow me, I told him it was dangerous, but he just." She looked down at the ground. "He just didn't like being on his own." The Doctor had turned around and put his binoculars away in one of his pockets.

"What happened?" He questioned.

"In the middle of an air raid? What do you think happened?" Her eyes were filled with guilt. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but I knew that nothing I said or did would be able to relieve that guilt. A heavy silence hung around us for a couple minutes. The sounds of planes and bombs going off in the distance made me uneasy. I pulled my coat tighter around myself, trying to at least feel warmer.

"Amazing." The Doctor mused quietly. Nancy and I both looked at him confused.

"What is?" She asked.

"1941. Right now, not very far from here, the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like dominoes. Nothing can stop it. Nothing. Until one, tiny, damp little island says no. No. Not here. A mouse in front of a lion. You're amazing, the lot of you. Don't know what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go then, do what you've got to do. Save the world." He beamed at her before looking at me. He held out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

"We shall." I chuckled and took his hand in mine. We walked down the rest of the stairs and around the small military set up. After a small trek, we walked up to a set of large metal gates. The sign above read, 'Albion Hospital' in gold lettering. The entire hospital was surrounded by the metal fence. The Doctor tried to open the gates but they were chained and padlocked shut. On one gate there was a hand written sign that read, 'Danger. No Entry.' I looked at the sign with a frown. "Oh that's just lovely. A hospital, locked up, with a no entry sign, and we are supposed to find someone inside to talk to. This all seems just so . . . typical for us."

"Bad feeling?" He asked, letting go of my hand to reach into his jacket to find his sonic screwdriver. He glanced at me quickly before looking back at the padlock.

"Not necessarily a _bad_ feeling, more of a strong feeling of unease." I tried to explain. I watched the Doctor as he scanned the lock. There was a small pop and the lock came open. He unhooked it from the chain and opened the gates. We started walking into the rather dark hospital.

"Stay close." He said rather quietly. I looked down the long and silent hallways on either side of us. There was no noticeable movement from anyone or anything other than us. Only some of the lights were turned on, creating large pockets of shadow.

"No need to say that twice. Trust me, I'm not running off. I don't like hospitals." I shoved both of my hands into my jacket pockets. I knew I would start picking at my nails if I didn't put them in the pockets.

"Why don't you like hospitals?" He asked as we started walking down empty hallways, looking for any sign of anyone else.

"Not sure. It's just one of my unexplained irrational fears. Kind of like my fear of moths, just not as intense." I shrugged. I had several quite irrational fears. One was my fear of hospitals. I say it was irrational because I only ever remembered being in a hospital once. It was for the headaches and nothing bad had happened. The staff had been quite friendly. Another irrational fear was my fear of moths. No one understood that fear, myself included. I eventually learned to explain it as being grossed out by the powder on their wings.

The Doctor and I continued walking until we finally found a room with patients inside. Except, something wasn't right. Every bed had a patient lying in it, and each patient had a gas mask on. Only about half of them were laying under the blankets. The rest were laying on top of them. None of them were moving. I wasn't even sure if they were breathing, though it was hard to tell. The only sources of light for the room were lights coming through the large windows, and a small amount of light coming from the hallway. "Doctor," I whispered, "why aren't they moving?"

"I don't know. Let's find this doctor Nancy told us to speak with." He quickly led me out of the room.

We made our way down a hall and into another ward. This room was a bit more lit up than the others. Once again, every bed was filled with a patient wearing a gas mask. In the center of the room there were two desks pushed together, as if for a secretary or something but no one sat at them. A door behind us creaked so we both quickly turned around to face it. The Doctor instinctively put himself between me and the noise. I looked around the Doctor and saw an elderly man in a doctor's coat walking through a door way off to the side, using a walking stick to help him limp along.

"You'll find them everywhere. In every bed, in every ward. Hundreds of them." He explained, slowly walking toward us. I was standing between two beds with the Doctor in front of me, still putting a barrier between me and this man.

"Yes, I saw. Why are they still wearing gas masks?" The Doctor asked him. I looked back at the patients on either side of me. They were just as still as the ones had been in the previous ward. They didn't look like they were breathing.

"They're not. Who are you?" I had quickly turned my head when the man said this. They very obviously had on gas masks.

"I'm, er-" The Doctor mumbled a bit. He didn't know quite what to say so I spoke up for him.

"Are you the doctor?" I asked kindly. The man looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. I could see why. The Doctor was trying to keep me behind him. When I spoke up, he finally stepped to the side so I could stand next to him.

"Doctor Constantine. And you two are?" The man asked.

"Nancy sent us." The Doctor explained.

"Nancy? That means you must've been asking about the bomb." We nodded and the man made his way to go stand in front of the desk. When he was next to it, he turned and looked at us. "What do you know about it?"

"Nothing. That's why I was asking. What do you know?" The Doctor countered.

"Only what it's done." He looked around the room at all of the patients. He seemed to be implying that all of these people were a result of the crash.

"Are you saying that all of these people were caught up in the blast?" I asked him, hoping he would clarify what he meant. He was being a bit too cryptic with his answers than I would have liked. It really was a little irritating when people gave vague answers or answered questions with questions of their own. Maybe I just got annoyed with that kind of response because it was what I did when I didn't want to tell people the truth, or when I didn't know how to respond.

"None of them were." He chuckled slightly before he began coughing. He was unsteady on his feet while he coughed. He looked like he could fall any second. I moved forward to go help him but he held up his hand to stop me. He slowly eased himself into a chair next to one of the desks. He didn't look well. The light from the lamp allowed me to see just how pale he was.

"You're very sick." The Doctor observed.

"Dying, I should think. I just haven't been able to find the time." I smiled at his joke. It was a bit morbid of a joke, but maybe that's why I liked it. I used snark and sarcasm to hide my nervousness. Joking around could also be used as a way to hide fear and nervousness. "Are you a doctor?" I tried not to laugh at the humor of his question.

"I have my moments." The Doctor chuckled.

"Have you examined any of them yet?" Doctor Constantine asked. The Doctor shook his head. "Don't touch the flesh." He said darkly.

"Which one?" The Doctor inquired.

"Any one." Doctor Constantine explained. The Doctor paused but walked over to one of the patients and scanned them with his sonic screwdriver. "Conclusions?" Doctor Constantine asked.

"Massive head trauma, mostly to the left side. Partial collapse of the chest cavity, mostly to the right. There's some scarring on the back of the hand and the gas mask seems to be fused to the flesh, but I can't see any burns." The Doctor snapped his head up to look at doctor Constantine who encouraged him to examine others. He scanned another patient. "This isn't possible." He scanned another, and another. Each time, he muttered that it wasn't possible. It started making me nervous.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"They've all got the same injuries. Exactly the same. Identical, all of them, right down to the scar on the back of the hand." The Doctor hurried back to where I was still standing in front of doctor Constantine. "How did this happen? How did it start?" He questioned.

"When that bomb dropped, there was just one victim." Doctor Constantine offered.

"Dead?"

"At first. His injuries were truly dreadful. By the following morning, every doctor and nurse who had treated him, who had touched him, had those exact same injuries. By the morning after that, every patient in the same ward, the exact same injuries. Within a week, the entire hospital. Physical injuries as plague. Can you explain that? What would you say was the cause of death?" Doctor Constantine questioned.

"The head trauma." Constantine shook his head no. "Asphyxiation." No again. "The collapse of the chest cavity." Still no. "All right. What was the cause of death?" The Doctor sounded a bit frustrated.

"There wasn't one. They're not dead." He explained. To make his point, he took his cane and hit the waste basket near him. With the sudden loud noise, every patient sat up in their beds and looked at us. I jumped back slightly and bumped into the Doctor. He placed his hands on my shoulders protectively. Doctor Constantine continued talking. "It's all right. They're harmless. They just sort of sit there. No heartbeat, no life signs of any kind. They just don't die."

"And they've just been left here? Nobody's doing anything?" I asked. It was upsetting that all these people had just been left and forgotten, locked up in a hospital with one man taking care of them.

"I try and make them comfortable. What else is there?" He shook his head. The patients began to lie back down. Their silent movements kept me on edge.

"Just you? You're the only one here?" The Doctor asked him as I kept my eyes on the patients.

"Before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I am neither. But I'm still a doctor." The hurt in doctor Constantine's voice filled the room. My heart broke for him. He had lost everything and was now dying, alone, watching over these patients. My heart tightened even more a moment later when the Doctor spoke up.

"I know the feeling." He muttered softly. I looked up at him but he was staring at doctor Constantine. He had confided in me about his family but we never talked in detail about what had happened to them. After the argument he had with Rose about family, I had labeled the topic off limits. I looked away from the Doctor when doctor Constantine started speaking again.

"I suspect the plan is to blow up the hospital and blame it on a German bomb." He suggested.

"It's probably too late."

"I know. There are isolated cases," He started coughing violently, "isolated cases breaking out all over London." He was gripping the desk as he continued coughing. Both the Doctor and I moved forward to help doctor Constantine but he quickly stopped us. "Stay back, stay back. Listen to me. Top floor, room 802, that's where they took the first victim, the one from the crash site." He seemed to be struggling to breathe. "And you must find Nancy again."

"Nancy?" I asked.

"It was her brother. She knows more than she's saying. She won't tell me, me, me," He stuttered and choked. His hand went up to his neck. "but she might, might, mummy. Are you my mummy?" He stammered.

Doctor Constantine's face slowly began stretching and transforming into a gas mask. I gasped and jumped back slightly. It was frightening to watch so I turned to face the Doctor's chest. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders protectively. When the sound of struggling stopped, I turned slightly to see Doctor Constantine's head lolled to the side as if he was simply sleeping with a gas mask on.

In the hallway, we heard a door handle rattle and a male voice calling out, "Hello?" I jumped slightly, realizing how close the Doctor and I were standing. I felt my cheeks heat up slightly and decided to look back toward the door to the hallway.

"Hello?" Rose called out as well.

"Hello?" The male voice asked again. He had an American accent.

"It's Rose!" I said excitedly. The Doctor followed me as I ran out of the room and into the hallway. We came upon Rose walking with a man. He was a little taller than her with medium length brown hair. He couldn't have been much older than myself. They were smiling when they saw us. Rose ran up and gave me a hug when she saw me. I looked her over and she gave me a nod saying she was fine. She seemed to have noticed my slight flush and was smirking at me. I rolled my eyes and turned to the Doctor and the other man.

"Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over." He shook hands with the Doctor who looked confused.

"He knows. I had to tell him about us being Time Agents." Rose hinted. The Doctor nodded and turned back to Jack.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mister Spock." He patted the Doctor on the shoulder. I almost laughed at the look of confusion on the Doctor's face, but Jack had turned his attention to me. "You must be Phoenix." He offered his hand so I took it. He turned my hand over and placed a kiss on the back of it. It was a little strange. I couldn't remember anyone ever doing that before. I slowly took my hand back from him, trying not to be rude about it.

"You can call me Nix. Everyone else does. Well, except for him." I gestured to the Doctor, who was still giving Rose a questioning glance over the 'Mister Spock' thing.

"Right. Nix it is. Don't want to upset the boyfriend." He smiled before walking off. I was a bit shocked by that but didn't have a chance to correct him before he walked into the ward we had just come from. I was now giving Rose a questioning look as well. What exactly had she told this man?

"Mister Spock?" The Doctor asked as soon as Jack was out of hearing range.

"What was I supposed to say? You don't have a name. Don't you ever get tired of: Doctor? Doctor who?" Rose teased. I had never really given this much thought. It was a bit odd that he only went by 'The Doctor', but never really went in depth with questioning it.

"Nine centuries in, I'm coping." He huffed.

"What exactly did you tell this guy?" I questioned Rose quietly as we began walking off to where Jack had gone. She gave me a smirk but didn't say anything. I groaned and rolled my eyes. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know."

"Where've you been? We're in the middle of a London Blitz. It's not a good time for a stroll." The Doctor took over questioning her.

"Who's strolling? I went by barrage balloon. Only way to see an air raid." She smirked and walked ahead of us.

"What?!" I demanded. She ignored me and turned to the Doctor as we walked.

"Listen, what's a Chula warship?" Her voice was quieter than before, as if she was whispering a secret.

"Chula?" The Doctor mused. He looked puzzled.

We walked back into the ward where Doctor Constantine and the other patients were. They were still unmoving and silent. Jack was examining one of the patients with some kind of device that was on his wrist. We stood near the doorway and watched him silently.

"This just isn't possible. How did this happen?" He questioned, moving to look over another patient. He moved over to another bed, then another, scanning them just as the Doctor had, and muttering about impossibilities as the Doctor had.

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" The Doctor asked him.

"What?" Jack asked. He didn't turn to look at us, instead continued to scan patients.

"He said it was a warship. He stole it, parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's going to fall on it unless we make him an offer." Rose explained. I watched this man carefully as Rose and the Doctor spoke. He didn't seem like a bad person, I prided myself in my judge of character, and Jack hadn't set off any red flags with me. Still, this information bothered me slightly.

"What kind of warship?" The Doctor repeated more firmly. Jack spun around to look at us.

"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this." He tried to defend himself. His dismissive attitude angered the Doctor.

"This started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it." He made his way closer to Jack. He sounded angrier with every step he took. "What kind of warship?" He demanded.

"An ambulance! Look." He pressed some buttons on the device on his wrist. Rose and I walked over and stood on either side of the Doctor. A hologram of the thing we had been chasing appeared over Jack's wrist. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way, nice panels. Threw you the bait."

"Bait?" Rose asked.

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk." He explained. He dismissed the hologram and closed the device.

"You said it was a war ship." Rose huffed.

"They have ambulances in wars. It was a con. I was conning you. That's what I am, I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents. You're not, are you." He was finally realizing the truth.

"Just a couple more freelancers." Rose offered.

"Oh. Should have known. The way you guys are blending in with the local color. I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain?" Then he looked over at me. "If it wasn't for the hair, you'd actually fit in quite well. Wouldn't mind taking you out for a drink." He gave me a smirk.

"Not the time, nor the place, and sorry soldier, but you're not my type." I smirked back at him. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome, quite the opposite in fact, he was quite handsome. I just simply didn't feel attracted to him. Besides, I could tell that Rose had a little bit of a thing for him and we agreed that we didn't go after the others guy. Jack looked a little surprised but chuckled nonetheless. He looked from the Doctor back to me.

"You definitely have a unique type." He teased. I sighed and got ready to say something back but Rose spoke first.

"They're not actually a couple. They act like it so everyone just assumes it." She explained.

"How about we not talk about this right now? We've got more important things going on." I offered, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship." Jack tried.

"What _is_ happening here, Doctor?" Rose asked. Rose and Jack turned their attention to the Doctor. I just kept watching the patients. They were all once again laying perfectly still but something about them was unnerving. It wasn't just the mask or the stillness. It was this echoing fear and sadness that I felt while looking at them.

"Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot." The Doctor grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Rose questioned.

"I don't know. Some kind of virus converting human beings into these things. But why? What's the point?" He started musing out loud. Without warning or provocation, all of the patients sat up in their beds. This was different from when they had moved before. This time they were calling out 'mummy' over and over again, much like the small child had done.

"Doctor, what's happening?" I asked him as I quickly backed away from the bed I was standing in front of.

"I don't know." He said nervously. The patients continued calling out 'mummy' and they all stood. Doctor Constantine joined them in standing as well. They slowly turned to face us and began walking to us. There was no way out of the room. They were coming at us from all sides. "Don't let them touch you."

"What happens if they touch us?" Rose asked nervously.

"You're looking at it." I explained. We kept backing up until we had hit the wall. The patients were still calling out for 'mummy'. I also heard a couple of them call out, 'Help me, mummy.'


End file.
